PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 6

INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Movement in the NQDC Space
2021 NQDC Market
A
ssets in nonqualified deferred
compensation (NQDC) plans
hit almost $183 billion this year,
growing 130% from $80 billion in 2015,
according to the 2021 PLANSPONSOR
NQDC Market Survey.
As assets have more than doubled,
the market has been shifting toward
midsize and larger plans. Nonqualified
plans of more than $25 million jumped
from 6% of NQDC assets to 24% over
the 2015 through 2021 period. Viewing
growth based on number of plan participants,
the plans with five to 25 participants
have grown from 32% of total plans
in 2015 to 37% in 2021 and overall from
13% of the market in 2015 to 18% in 2021.
At companies competing to recruit
and retain executives, offering a larger
number of such employees a chance
to participate in the NQDC plan-and
receive a meaningful employer contribution-has
become part of the hiring
strategy, says John Baergen, senior
director of nonqualified plans at Principal
Financial Group in Des Moines, Iowa.
Discussion in Washington, D.C.,
of increasing taxes paid by higherincome
earners also has motivated some
employers competing for talent to expand
NQDC plan eligibility, says Ashley Heck,
a vice president with Fidelity Investments'
workplace consulting group in Boston.
" Employers are finding it's a challenge
to keep their senior management
in place during this unprecedented
time, so they're asking: 'What benefits
are we not providing that larger companies
or our peers provide?' " says Mike
Shannon, senior vice president, nonqualified
consulting with Newport retirement
services, in Walnut Creek, California. " For
many firms, that's a nonqualified plan. "
These employers often want to add
a 409A plan, he says. It will be relatively
inexpensive to implement and not too
time-consuming to oversee. -Judy Ward

Liabilities
$182.7b
Plans
9,134

Participants
817,021
Distribution of NQDC Plans, by Plan Participant Size
n	2015 n	2021
46%
<5 participants
32%
5-25 participants
26-50 participants
51-100 participants
>100 participants
5%
6%
8%
9%
Reported NQDC Liabilities, by Plan Type
$146,632
2015
$171,894
2021
$10,320
2015
409A plans
*Includes nongovernmental 457(b) plans, 457(f) plans, etc.
Source: 2021 PLANSPONSOR NQDC Market Survey
$31,012
2021
Other NQDC plan types*
9%
9%
37%
39%
39%
6 PLANSPONSOR.COM October - November 2021
http://www.PLANSPONSOR.COM

PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021

INSIGHTS
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
RULES & REGULATIONS
UPFRONT
To Attract and Retain
2021 DC Plan Benchmarking Survey
Investment Appraisal
The Evergreen Discussion
Retirement, by Auto-Pilot
FIDUCIARY FORUM A Useful Gauge
INSIDE ANGLE ESG for Fiduciaries
PLAN PROFILE Picture of Health
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - Cover1
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - Cover2
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 1
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 2
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 3
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - INSIGHTS
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 5
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 7
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - RULES & REGULATIONS
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 9
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 10
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 11
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - UPFRONT
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 13
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 14
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 15
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 16
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 17
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - To Attract and Retain
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 19
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 20
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 21
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 2021 DC Plan Benchmarking Survey
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 23
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 24
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 25
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 26
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 27
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 28
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 29
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - Investment Appraisal
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 31
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 32
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 33
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - The Evergreen Discussion
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 35
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - Retirement, by Auto-Pilot
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - 37
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - FIDUCIARY FORUM A Useful Gauge
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - INSIDE ANGLE ESG for Fiduciaries
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - PLAN PROFILE Picture of Health
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - Cover3
PLANSPONSOR - October/November 2021 - Cover4
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