Providing Socially Responsible Investing Options in Defined Contribution Plans

Offering a retirement plan to your employees is a great way to offer a competitive benefits package. But what about the investment options your plan provides? As a plan sponsor, you may often assess new investment options for your participants, largely considering the demographics of your participants, such as age, financial literacy, and other types of quantifiable data. Have you ever considered their societal values? Over the past few years, more plan sponsors are considering their participants’ societal values when developing investment menus to craft a strong array of options for their employees. This focus on environmental, social, and government issues within investing is typically known as Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) and is a great way for participants to “put their money where their mouths are” by making a societal impact as they save for retirement.