John Hancock Retirement's latest State of the Participant report finds more than half of plan participants are 'retirement ready' with at least 70% income replacement

BOSTON, June 14, 2022 /CNW/ - John Hancock Retirement, a company of Manulife Investment Management, has released its most recent State of the Participant report, showing nearly 53% of its defined contribution (DC) retirement plan participants are positioned to replace at least 70% of their employment income in their retirement years. A common benchmark of retirement readiness, this year's income replacement data sees an increase of nearly five percentage points from 2020 and the highest income replacement John Hancock Retirement has seen in the report since the data has been available.^1,2

"In the wake of historically high savings rates and substantial gains in the stock market in 2020 and 2021, we saw improvements in retirement readiness within every age group in 2022, with nearly 70% for those under age 40 on-track," said Sue Reibel, CEO, John Hancock Retirement. "We are pleased to see these results in the data, and we are optimistic about maintaining these results over the long-term. We are confident that the best way to help plan participants progress towards their retirement goals is to provide them a workplace savings plan that gives access to the information, tools and resources they need to make sound savings and investing decisions."

Additional findings from the 2022 State of the Participant study include:

As seen in past reports, the chances of achieving retirement readiness were highest when plan sponsors took advantage of both types of automatic plan features, including auto-enrollment and the auto-increase feature. In 2021, plans that auto-enrolled eligible employees and included automatic annual deferral increases of 1% a year up to 10% achieved average plan-level retirement readiness of 65%. This compares to 52% for plans without any auto features.

The data in the report also found that an increase in the auto-escalation limit has a positive impact on retirement readiness. While a 10% cap has historically been the standard, approximately 60% of plan sponsors are now selecting limits of 15% or higher, with 25% and 15% being the most popular choices.

What's more, participants are open to saving more each year through auto-escalation. With each passing year, fewer participants opt out of automatic-escalation over five years with only 5% opting out of auto increases in year four and only 3% in year five. The opt-out data suggests that communicating in the first year of enrollment is vitally important to help participants understand the importance of saving more each year and the impact it can have on reaching retirement readiness goals as the most recent report shows more than half of participants opted out of auto-escalation in the first year of enrollment.

Consistent with ongoing labor trends, the percentages of participants leaving their plans between 2019 and 2021 varied by industry and age. Plan turnover was high among those under age 30 in retail and service firms. It was low among people in their 50s working in the materials industry and in the banking, finance, and insurance sector.

All these participants were faced with extremely important decisions about what to do with their savings upon leaving their defined contribution plans. The data shows that for participants departing their DC plans in 2021, 61% elected to move their money directly to an IRA or a new employer's DC plan. However, almost four out of ten of those leaving their plan cashed out their account—which exposed them to immediate tax liability, possible tax penalties and a step backward from their retirement goals. This represents an opportunity for plan providers to provide all departing employees with estimates of the amount they would save on current taxes as well as the potential growth they would experience by making a timely rollover or electing to remain in their current plan. ³

More than one-in-ten (11%) of defined contribution open architecture plans administered by John Hancock Retirement make environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds directly available as an option for plan participants, with a total of 80 funds represented. This number may grow in the future, as the U.S. Department of Labor proposed a change to ERISA in October 2021 that would officially allow fiduciaries to consider ESG factors in selecting funds for their DC plan lineups. The interest we've seen on ESG fund option adoption has taken place despite these rules not yet being effective. Interestingly, while some industry trends have shown that younger participants would be attracted to ESG funds, John Hancock Retirement data shows the average age of those investing in these strategies as closer to 50 years of age.⁴

Increasing inflation can have a negative impact on retirement plans. Investors may feel as though they're facing the difficult decision of adding money to their portfolio in the short term, decreasing their income goals in retirement or postponing retirement. However, evaluating an investment strategy, such as stable value funds, can potentially offer a hedge against inflation.

Stable value funds seek to offer a higher yield than money market funds and short to intermediate bond-like performance—all with an insurance-backed guarantee.  As the U.S. continues to deal with the highest inflation in decades, the unique advantages of stable value—including their guarantees and ability to help counter inflation—make them a potentially attractive option. ⁵ This year's State of the Participant data shows that 12% of participants are invested in stable value funds, including over 17% of those age 50 and older.

Building a retirement portfolio takes years of planning and discipline, and as the past few years have shown, plans can come under stress by any number of factors. Understanding the impact of inflation on portfolios can be an important tool to help investors plan for retirement.

"While the data showing gains in retirement readiness across age groups is very encouraging, we understand that economic conditions and each individual's personal situation can present challenges. Our message is to stay committed to saving, consider increasing contributions when you are able and remain focused on your risk tolerance and time horizon when making investment decisions," said Scott Francolini, head of strategic relationship management and consulting, John Hancock Retirement. "We're committed to continuing to work closely with plan sponsors and financial professionals to help support Americans along their journey to retirement readiness."

For complete information about a particular investment option, please read the fund prospectus or offering memorandum/trust document. You should carefully consider the objectives, risks, charges, and expenses before investing. The prospectus or offering memorandum/trust document contains this and other important information about the investment option and investment company.  Please read the prospectus or offering memorandum/trust document carefully before you invest or send money. Prospectus or offering memorandum/trust document may only be available in English.

John Hancock Retirement is the U.S. retirement business of Manulife Investment Management. For more than 50 years, we've helped people plan and invest for retirement; today, we're one of the largest full-service providers in the United States.ⁱ We take a hands-on consultative approach based on the idea that no two plans- and no two plan participants are exactly alike. We partner with plan sponsors, financial professionals, and third-party administrators to ensure that every plan is personal to the participant and delivers results.

As of March 31, 2022, John Hancock serviced over 54,000 retirement plans with over 3.1 million participants and over $215 billion in AUMA.ⁱⁱ

Manulife Investment Management is the global brand for the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 19 geographies. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We're committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.

John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC is the principal underwriter and wholesale distribution broker dealer for the John Hancock mutual funds. Member FINRA, SIPC.

John Hancock Retirement Plan Services LLC offers administrative or recordkeeping services to sponsors and administrators of retirement plans.  John Hancock Trust Company LLC provides trust and custodial services to such plans.  Group annuity contracts and recordkeeping agreements are issued by John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), Boston, MA (not licensed in New York) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York, Valhalla, New York.  Product features and availability may differ by state. Securities offered through John Hancock Distributors LLC. Member FINRA, SIPC.

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