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Participant-Directed Defined
Contribution Plan Services


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Investment, Fiduciary, and Employee Education Services for Defined Contribution Plans

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Managing retirement plan investments and meeting fiduciary obligations can place significant demands on organizations that sponsor 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), and other types of defined contribution (DC) plans. 

Outsourcing responsibility for your defined contribution plan can help guide retirement plan decisions, help with governance and compliance and provide financial and retirement education for employees.

With a deep bench of defined contribution plan specialists and advisors, PNC delivers powerful investment insights, innovative tools and on-demand financial education programs that can help you recruit and retain employees — and help them reach their retirement goals.

A Comprehensive Approach to Achieving Plan Goals

Plan sponsors that choose to outsource responsibilities over their defined contribution plan generally need help with three concerns:

  • Advice to help guide retirement plan decisions
  • Assistance with governance and compliance
  • Financial and retirement education for employees


That’s why PNC’s approach goes beyond defined contribution plan investment consulting to include:

An outcomes-based process
Our approach to defined contribution plan consulting is proven to improve participant outcomes by helping organizations define success, prioritize their plan’s goals and objectives, and design a framework to measure progress.

A participant-focused approach
PNC engages employees holistically — in person and online — to help employees understand the benefits of participating in a defined contribution plan and how to take steps toward achieving their financial objectives. Our dedicated, non-commission employee education consultants work with plan sponsors to understand the needs of their workforce and create custom education campaigns to help ensure that employees receive the support they need to work toward short- and long-term goals.

A dedicated Retirement Plan Advisor
As your relationship manager for 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans, your PNC Retirement Plan Advisor serves as your single point of contact, working with a team of specialists to deliver defined contribution advice and design customized solutions that deliver results. At all times, your advisor acts as your advocate, playing a key role in tying all of the pieces of your retirement plan together and ensuring that you always receive the DC plan advisory services and support you need.

The PNC Approach

Comprehensive Services to Manage Your Retirement Plan

3(21) Investment Advisory

Defined contribution retirement plan advisors help plan sponsors to evaluate, select, and monitor an investment menu suited to the unique needs of their workforce. This service is intended for plan sponsors that wish to retain discretion over the investment menu.

3(38) Investment Management 

Defined contribution retirement plan advisors serve in an outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) capacity to select, monitor, and maintain an investment lineup suited to the unique needs of your workforce. With this service, the plan sponsor delegates investment oversight to PNC.

Investment Policy Statement

Assistance with the creation, review, and maintenance of a defined contribution investment policy statement to document the decision-making process and other key criteria related to your defined contribution plan.

Fee Benchmarking

Regular comparison of your retirement plan fees against industry benchmarks to identify potential cost efficiencies and to help determine fee reasonableness on an ongoing basis.

Fiduciary Education

Structured committee education to help committee members stay informed of industry and regulatory trends.

Defined Contribution Investment Menu Design

A disciplined process that is tailored to your unique workforce using an open-architecture approach that does not include proprietary funds.

Nonqualified Executive Benefits

Guidance and support on non-qualified plans and other executive benefit strategies.

Education Consulting Services

A tailored in-person or virtual education strategy with a formal annual campaign specific to the needs of your workforce.

Participant Education with Retirement 1-On-1®

Employee education outreach targeted to employees not enrolled or not fully engaged in your retirement plan through personalized outreach and 1-on-1 consultations.

PNC Financial Wellness CenterSM

Online financial wellness platform delivering personalized educational resources with a points system to encourage participation and reporting that monitors employee usage and progress.

Investment Monitoring and Reporting

Fiduciary investment monitoring report covering investment menu performance and providing ongoing evaluation on a quarterly basis.

Plan Design Benchmarking

A review of your retirement plan’s design and features compared to industry benchmarks to identify opportunities to improve plan health and to help attract and retain talent.

Recordkeeping / Vendor Search

Assistance in developing and conducting a request for information (RFI) or formal request for proposal (RFP) as part of a recordkeeper due diligence or search process.

 

Committed to Our Customers, Employees and Communities

At PNC Institutional Asset Management, we view corporate responsibility as simply the right thing to do. We invest our time and resources to make a positive difference for the clients, employees, and communities we serve.

  • We take a solutions-focused, consultative approach to developing retirement plan solutions. We begin by asking: What do you want your retirement plan to accomplish for employees? How involved do you want to be in decision-making and oversight? From there, we explore solutions to meet your goals. 
  • We seek to protect our clients and other stakeholders by taking a strategic approach to risk.
  • We act as an involved neighbor in the communities we serve by maintaining an active presence through strong local leadership and collaboration with local organizations.

Learn more about our corporate responsibility efforts »

Get Started with a Complimentary Retirement Plan Review

A formal evaluation of your retirement plan on at least an annual basis can help to make sure your plan is on track to meet its objectives and that your committee is fulfilling its fiduciary duties.

Questions to consider:

  • If I have a retirement plan advisor, am I satisfied with their services?
  • Do we have a current Investment Policy Statement?
  • Are my employees participating and actively preparing for retirement?
  • Am I confident in the process used to evaluate, select, and monitor the investment lineup today?
  • Are my retirement plan’s fees in line in line with other similar-sized retirement plans and reasonable for the services being provided?
  • Do my employees understand the fees that they are paying?
  • Do my employees have access to financial and investment education?
To schedule your complimentary plan review, please complete the form below. 

Ideas, Insights & Solutions

Manage Assets

DC Plan Perspectives Webinar: 2024 Update on Regulation and Litigation

PNC Institutional Asset Management and Morgan Lewis review current industry developments impacting defined contribution plans.

56:50 min video

Manage Assets

Plan Sponsor Priorities: Checklist for 2024

PNC Institutional Asset Management discusses seven topics that are top priorities for retirement programs in 2024.

6 min read

Manage Assets

Cashing In on Cash Balance Plans Recap

Learn how your organization can use market-based, flexible-deferral cash balance plans to significantly lower taxes and build wealth for employees.

5:27 min video

Let’s Talk About Your Retirement Plan Goals Today

Work with us today. For more information, please contact:  


Chris Dall, CFA


Managing Director, Retirement Solutions

Contact Us

Contact PNC Institutional Asset Management

To learn more or to schedule your complimentary plan review, please complete the form below and a PNC representative will reach out to you.

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The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (“PNC”) uses the marketing name PNC Institutional Asset Management® for the various discretionary and non-discretionary institutional investment, trustee, custody, consulting, and related services provided by PNC Bank, National Association (“PNC Bank”), which is a Member FDIC, and investment management activities conducted by PNC Capital Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser and wholly-owned subsidiary of PNC Bank. PNC uses the marketing names Retirement 1-on-1® and PNC Financial Wellness Achievement CenterSM for employee education services provided by PNC Bank. PNC does not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice unless, with respect to tax advice, PNC Bank has entered into a written tax services agreement. PNC Bank is not registered as a municipal advisor under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

“PNC Institutional Asset Management” and “Retirement 1-on-1” are registered marks, and “PNC Financial Wellness Achievement Center” is a service mark, of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

Investments: Not FDIC Insured. No Bank Guarantee. May Lose Value.

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