Defined Contribution Investment Solutions
Aon helps plan sponsors design unique investment programs that engage participants and help them to invest to achieve their goals. Our consultants assist with identifying your goals and objectives, then partner with you to select and monitor fund managers.
Investment Advisory Consulting
Aon’s consulting solutions are fully integrated investment management services focused on strategy, implementation, and execution. Our teams collaborate with defined benefit and defined contribution plans to provide portfolio management, alternatives consulting, manager research, and investment policy services. Learn More>>
Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO)
We help clients delegate some or all investment decision making, reduce plan workload and potentially reduce fees by leveraging our scale. We customize the solution to suit the level of engagement that’s right for you–from traditional investment advisory consulting to partial delegation to OCIO. Learn More>>
Defined Contribution Advisory and OCIO Clients - Related Services
Real Asset Solutions – The Townsend Group
The Townsend Group, an Aon company, is a global team of practitioners in real assets and private equity that secures prime deals from top managers. The group aims to create opportunities by drawing upon a worldwide, multi-manager investment platform exclusively focused on real assets. Learn More>>
Vendor Selection
Backed by Aon’s expert consultants and a vast vendor database, our recordkeeper search and selection process helps plan sponsors identify a vendor who can best meet their needs and fulfill fiduciary responsibilities. Learn More>>
Investment Advisory Consulting vs. OCIO DC Plan Consulting
| Area of Focus | 3(21) Investment Advisory Consulting |
Delegated 3(38) Investment Consulting with DC Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Common Features | Plan sponsor owns over-arching strategy, menu construction and investment policy. Committee retains responsibility for evaluating the advisor. |
|
| Fiduciary Risk Included in investment advisory consulting with partial delegation |
Consultant is co-fiduciary, makes investment-related recommendations; Committee makes decisions |
Consultant is investment fiduciary with primary responsibility for investment decisions (manager selection, termination & monitoring); Committee in oversight role |
| Manager Selection and Termination | Consultant recommends; Committee makes decisions |
Full access with multi-billion dollar scale; institutional vehicles, like collective trusts |
| Manager Vehicle | Limited by plan sponsor scale; often limited to mutual fund focus |
Delegated to Consultant |
| Plan Sponsor Spend | Retail mutual fund fees; manager searches; programming and Committee time |
Buying power support of a multi-billion dollar plan; searches, programming |
| Monitoring | Typically quarterly | Daily with quarterly updates |
| Manager Replacements | 6-12 month process | Completed in days or weeks* |
| Committee Meetings and Reporting | Focus on manager review; backward looking |
Focus on strategy and participant outcomes: forward looking |
* Not all client experiences are the same and implementation periods may vary significantly from those presented based on a client’s specific circumstances.
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