Arnerich Massena Publishes New White Paper: Retirement Plan Best Practices: Investment Menu Construction


Share this article! Portland-based investment firm Arnerich Massena, an independent investment advisory firm specializing in retirement plan consulting services, endowment & foundation, private wealth management, and impact investing strategies, has published its latest white paper, Retirement Plan Best Practices: Investment Menu Construction. The white paper is the third in a five-part series outlining retirement plan … Read more

Portland-based investment firm Arnerich Massena, an independent investment advisory firm specializing in retirement plan consulting services, endowment & foundation, private wealth management, and impact investing strategies, has published its latest white paper, Retirement Plan Best Practices: Investment Menu Construction. The white paper is the third in a five-part series outlining retirement plan best practices; the series began with plan governance and plan design and will also cover plan monitoring and participant education. Investment Menu Construction examines how to build a retirement plan investment menu that will result in improved long-term participant outcomes.
 
“The move from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans shifted the investment decision-making process to participants in a way they hadn’t been confronted with in the defined benefit era,” the paper notes. “As an industry we are getting better at understanding how to really help participants invest successfully, much of which comes from our increased knowledge of the science of behavioral economics.” The paper discusses how findings from behavioral economists can help guide the construction of an investment menu. By understanding how participants make decisions, we can design a menu that will make that process easier.
 
“Plan sponsors are challenged to build an investment menu lineup that meets a number of different criteria,” says Terri Schwartz, managing director of institutional services and business development. “They need to provide enough diversification but keep the menu simple to use, offer options that are appropriate for a variety of ages and life stages, and manage investment expenses, to name just a few. We want to help sponsors navigate this territory to ultimately help their participants to a secure retirement.”
 
Contributors to the paper include Ryan Cunningham, CAIA; Corrie Oliva, CFA; Jillian Perkins; Terri Schwartz; and Chris Van Dyke, CFA, CAIA.
 
A downloadable version of Retirement Plan Best Practices: Investment Menu Construction  is available at http://arnerichmassena.com/pdf/white-papers/Menu_construction_final.pdf.
 
 
About Arnerich Massena
Founded in 1991, Arnerich Massena is a Portland-based independent investment advisory firm servicing corporate pension and profit sharing plans, private clients, endowments, foundations, charitable organizations, and trusts and estates. The firm provides traditional portfolio management and investing for clients, and is also widely known for successfully investing in high-impact areas like water resources, sustainable agriculture, fishing, healthcare, and clean energy technology. Arnerich Massena strives to be a business that exemplifies both corporate citizenship and professional service, and has received awards for its innovations in corporate philanthropy.  More information is available at www.arnerichmassena.com