PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 50

INVESTMENT FOCUS
Protection at All Costs
Stable value funds preserve capital-and provide a solid return
E
veryone has a long-time favorite
food product-a go-to that combines
consistent and high quality
with predictable satisfaction. The item
may look basic, but beneath the packaging,
there's a complicated process of
gathering and combining the right ingredients.
This
is not unlike stable value
accounts: For defined contribution (DC)
plan investors, continuity and reliability
have been the traditional appeal. They
are simple on the surface, yet complex
due to an intricate insurance company
" wrap " mechanism that stabilizes yield
and account values. And, for years, their
values were indeed stable, and payouts
were steady and predictable, making
them a reassuring choice to many sponsors
as a capital preservation option.
50 PLANSPONSOR.com June-July 2018
Stable value's smooth surface was
marred in the 2008 financial crisis,
when managers of short-term high-grade
bonds were allowed greater latitude with
risk, and the prices of securities in stable
value portfolios saw sharp drops. The
crisis tested the product's value proposition,
but in the end the damage was
minor. Still, many sponsors gave up on
stable value. For instance, among the 25
largest DC plan clients of Northern Trust
Asset Management, 88% offered stable
value in 2008, but by 2016 the proportion
had dropped to 46%.
By 2017, however, many sponsors'
faith in the product had been restored,
thanks to changes in the business. An
expanded survey of Northern Trust's 50
largest DC clients showed that the share
offering stable value had climbed to 64%.
Art by Tim Peacock
Says Susan Czochara, the firm's
head of product strategy for retirement
solutions, in Chicago, " Plan sponsors
have liked stable value for the steady net
asset value [NAV] and yield advantage
over money market funds, but only when
they had the expertise and knowledge to
help them navigate the insurance wrap
aspects and understand the complexity.
I suppose that has returned since the
crisis. "
What Is the Appeal?
" There has been positive momentum for
stable value among plan sponsors, and it's
about time, " notes Tony Luna, head of the
stable asset management team at T. Rowe
Price Group, Baltimore. " The stable value
market has healed, and there is more
insurance wrap capacity. "

http://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/june-july_2018/TrackLink.action?pageName=50&exitLink=http%3A%2F%2FPLANSPONSOR.com

PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018

Opportunities Knock
2018 Plan Administration Guide, Part 2
Narrowing It Down
ESG Comes to Light
Protection at All Costs
The Sum of All Sources
Upwardly Mobile
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - C1
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - FC1
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - FC2
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - C2
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 1
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 2
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 3
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 4
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 5
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 6
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 7
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 8
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 9
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 10
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 11
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 12
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 13
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 14
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 15
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 16
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 17
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - Opportunities Knock
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 19
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 20
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 21
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 2018 Plan Administration Guide, Part 2
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 23
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 24
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 25
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 26
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 27
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 28
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 29
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 30
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 31
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 32
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 33
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 34
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 35
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 36
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 37
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 38
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 39
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 40
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 41
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - Narrowing It Down
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 43
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 44
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 45
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - ESG Comes to Light
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 47
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 48
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 49
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - Protection at All Costs
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 51
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - The Sum of All Sources
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 53
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - Upwardly Mobile
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 55
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - 56
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - C3
PLANSPONSOR - June/July 2018 - C4
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/march_april_2024
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/january_february_2024
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/november_december_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/september_october_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/july_august_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/may_june_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/march_april_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december_2022_february_2023
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october_november_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/august_september_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/june_july_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/excellenceawards_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/april_may_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/february_march_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december_2021_january_2022
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october_november_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/august_september_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/june_july_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/april-may_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/february-march_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december-january_2021
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october-november_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/august-september_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/june-july_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/april-may_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/february-march_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december-january_2020
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october-november_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/august-september_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/june-july_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/april-may_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/february-march_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december_2018-january_2019
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october-november_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/august-september_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/june-july_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/april-may_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/february-march_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/december_2017-january_2018
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/november_december_2017
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/october_2017
https://www.plansponsordigital.com/plansponsor/september_2017
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com