Today, we’re joined by Glenn Dial, Senior Retirement Strategist with American Century Investments.

Dial explains some fascinating findings from “The Retirement Disconnect: What Sponsors Miss About Participant Priorities,” the firm’s 12th annual survey of retirement plan participants and sponsors, which can be found at americancentury.com.

He covers retirement income, common misconceptions, and the always-important income replacement rate, among other high-profile topics.

Source: 12th Annual American Century Retirement Survey

Methodology: The participant survey was conducted between June 3, 2025, and June 23, 2025. The survey included 1,500 full-time workers between the ages of 25 and 70 saving through their employer’s retirement plan. The data were weighted to reflect key demographics (gender, income, and education) among all American private sector participants between 25 and 70.

The sponsor survey was conducted between May 20, 2025, and June 16, 2025. Survey included 500 plan sponsor representatives holding a job title of Director or higher and having considerable influence when it comes to making decisions about their company’s retirement plan (either 401(k), 403(b), or 457 plans). The data were weighted to reflect the makeup of the total defined contribution population by plan asset size.

Percentages in the tables and charts may not total 100 due to rounding and/or missing categories.

Greenwald Research of Washington, D.C., completed data collection and analysis.

This material has been prepared for educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, investment, accounting, legal, or tax advice.

Investment return and principal value of security investments will fluctuate. The value at the time of redemption may be more or less than the original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Jessica Drake joins the Executive Interview to delve into plan participant attitudes, behaviors, and evolving expectations in a digital world.

It comes as no surprise that our lives are increasingly linked to the digital realm — mobile phones now make up 63% of all web traffic worldwide, a figure that has more than doubled in the past decade, according to Statista. This digital reality has drastically reshaped consumer expectations for interacting with various services, including financial platforms.

Drake, Head of Operations for the Employer Markets team at Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, will share valuable insights into how individuals engage with their retirement plans in this digital age.

Disclosure

Sources:

• (2025, February 5). Mobile internet usage worldwide – statistics & facts.
• Defined Contribution Plan Participant Experience Survey, conducted by the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement in July 2025 with a nationally representative sample of 1,805 respondents aged 18+ who are currently contributing to an employer-sponsored retirement plan.
• The State of Lifetime Income: Participant Survey, conducted by the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement in November 2024 with a nationally representative sample of 2,488 respondents aged 18+ who are currently contributing to an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

Fixed index annuities are designed to meet long-term needs for retirement income. They provide guarantees against the loss of principal and credited interest, tax deferred accumulation potential, and the reassurance of a death benefit for beneficiaries.

This content is for general educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide fiduciary, tax, or legal advice and cannot be used to avoid tax penalties or to promote, market, or recommend any tax plan or arrangement. Please note that Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz), its affiliated companies, and their representatives and employees do not give fiduciary, tax, or legal advice or advice related to Social Security or Medicare. Clients are encouraged to consult their tax advisor or attorney, or Social Security Administration (SSA) office, for their particular situation. Allianz does not provide financial planning services or advice.

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Annuity guarantees are backed solely by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

Product and feature availability may vary by state and retirement plan.

This content does not apply in the state of New York.

• Not FDIC insured • May lose value • No bank or credit union guarantee• Not a deposit • Not insured by any federal government agency or NCUA/NCUSIF

For institutional use only – not for use with the public.

What role have managed accounts (including advisor managed accounts) played in the participant shift in how they approach retirement planning? What’s driving increased interest in personalized retirement solutions? Are there any innovations within managed accounts that we can look forward to?

We’re joined by Nathan Voris, Head of Go To Market with Morningstar, to answer these questions and more.

Disclosures:

© 2025 Morningstar Investment Management LLC. All Rights Reserved. The Morningstar name and logo are registered marks of Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar Retirement offers research- and technology-driven products and services to individuals, workplace retirement plans, and other industry players. Associated advisory services are provided by Morningstar Investment Management LLC, a registered investment adviser and subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc.

The information contained in this document is the proprietary material of Morningstar. Reproduction, transcription, or other use, by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Morningstar, is prohibited. Opinions expressed are as of the current date; such opinions are subject to change without notice. Morningstar or its subsidiaries shall not be responsible for any trading decisions, damages, or other losses resulting from, or related to, the information, data, analyses or opinions or their use.

This commentary is for informational purposes only. The information, data, analyses, and opinions presented herein do not constitute investment advice, are provided solely for informational purposes and therefore are not an offer to buy or sell a security. Please note that references to specific securities or other investment options within this piece should not be considered an offer (as defined by the Securities and Exchange Act) to purchase or sell that specific investment. The performance data shown represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This commentary contains certain forward-looking statements. We use words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to differ materially and/or substantially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by those projected in the forward-looking statements for any reason.

Research on The Impact of Managed Accounts on Participant Savings and Investment Decisions

A total of 84,875 retirement plan participants were included in Morningstar Investment Management’s study, “The Impact of Managed Accounts on Participant Savings and Investment Decisions”. Participants were selected for use based on available information and various filters and include those participants that used the Morningstar Retirement Manager Managed Accounts service between the dates of January 5, 2007 and December 31, 2024.

In no way should any performance shown be considered indicative or a guarantee of the future performance of an actual DC plan participant's portfolio with the same investment option or viewed as a substitute for an investment option recommended to an individual participant. Actual results of an individual participant may differ substantially from the historical performance shown for an investment option and may include an individual participant incurring a loss. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Performance returns were calculated using a time weighted, geometrically linked rate of return formula. Returns for periods over one year are annualized.

Morningstar Investment Management does not guarantee that the results of their advice, recommendations, or the objectives of an inves

Jeff Acheson often speaks about retirement planning as an “elegantly integrated ecosystem,” of which life income is a key part.

But what, specifically, is it and how can it help members of the American Retirement Association and its affiliate organizations?

Acheson, CEO of Advanced Strategies Group and ARA Immediate Past-President, joins the Executive Interview to answer these questions, and more, about the Association Life Income Plan.

But we begin with an intriguing discussion about the damaging effects of cholesterol, and another one to worry about—tax cholesterol.

What is it, and how can it negatively affect a person’s retirement health?

One of the key challenges plan fiduciaries may encounter is terminating a retirement plan because of a merger or acquisition. What happens in this situation, why is it such a common issue, and how can advisors help?

Pete Welsh, Managing Director of Retirement and Wealth at Inspira Financial, joins American Retirement Association Chief Content Officer John Sullivan to answer these questions and more.

Sponsored by: Inspira Financial Trust, LLC

*Inspira Financial Trust, LLC and its affiliates perform the duties of a directed custodian and/or an administrator of consumer directed benefits and, as such, do not provide due diligence to third parties on prospective investments, platforms, sponsors, or service providers, and do not offer or sell investments or provide investment, tax, or legal advice.

Matt Stubblefield from Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America and Tina Wilson from Empower joins John Sullivan for this episode of the Executive Interview.

Matt shares Allianz's latest research insights into participant attitudes and preferences surrounding this vital aspect of retirement planning. Tina provides firsthand experiences from implementing guaranteed lifetime income offerings on the Empower platform.

Together, they discuss the future adoption and evolution of guaranteed lifetime income within retirement plans.

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The Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement produces insights and research as part of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz).

Research Cited: The State of Lifetime Income: Participant Survey, conducted by the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement in November 2024 with a nationally representative sample of 2,488 respondents aged 18+ who are currently contributing to an employer-sponsored retirement plan.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics January 2022

Fixed index annuities are designed to meet long-term needs for retirement income. They provide guarantees against the loss of principal and credited interest, tax-deferred accumulation potential, and the reassurance of a death benefit for beneficiaries.

This content is for general educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide fiduciary, tax, or legal advice and cannot be used to avoid tax penalties or to promote, market, or recommend any tax plan or arrangement. Please note that Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, its affiliated companies, and their representatives and employees do not give fiduciary, tax, or legal advice. Allianz does not provide financial planning services.

Guarantees are backed solely by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America is not affiliated with Empower

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America is not affiliated with NAPA

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America (Allianz), 5701 Golden Hills Drive, Minneapolis, MN 55416-1297. 800.542.5724 www.allianzlife.com

For institutional use only - not intended for use with the public.

Why is portability so important for retirement plan participants? And how does it apply to in-plan guaranteed lifetime income solutions like annuities?

We speak with Gordy Stead, Director of Institutional Sales at Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. He joins us to discuss the importance of portability in retirement savings as we explore the unique challenges and considerations when it comes to in-plan guaranteed lifetime income solutions.

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Disclosure

Research cited in this podcast:

• Allianz Life conducted an online survey, the 2024 3Q Quarterly Market Perceptions Study, in August 2024 with a nationally representative sample of 1,005 individuals age 18+.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 2022
• Trends in Public-Sector Employee Tenure, 2000-2022, Public Retirement Research Lab, 2022

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America has been keeping its promises since 1896 by helping Americans achieve their retirement income and protection goals with a variety of annuity and life insurance products.

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America does not provide financial planning services.

Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America is not affiliated with NAPA

Guarantees are backed solely by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

John Hancock Retirement is out with its highly anticipated Financial Resilience and Longevity Report, now in its 10th year. It contains good news for most retirement savers, but some generations lag.

We’re excited to speak with CEO Wayne Park, whose team fielded the study, about what they found as well as trends they’re seeing when looking back at previous years.

We also asked him the all-important question--is there a retirement crisis in this country? Here’s what he had to say.

Sponsored By: John Hancock Retirement