Defined contribution (DC) investment

A well-structured DC investment framework should balance sophistication with simplicity – giving members a clear path to follow, and delivering strategies that adapt to their needs throughout their savings journey. 

As your trusted adviser, we help employers make use of all available tools – combining independence, market access and insight-led solutions to deliver the journey members need. Investment guidance is just one of the DC pensions consulting services we provide.

Our DC investment philosophy 

Our philosophy is backed by a 90-strong investment consultancy team – specialists in fund and manager analysis, asset risk and lifecycle modelling. Together we design DC investment solutions that reflect two distinct phases of member engagement: 

• Early career – passively engaged. Members many years from retirement need their savings to work hard and can benefit from a long-term view of investment success. 
• Later career – actively engaged. From around age 50–55, strategies should evolve to reflect an individual’s specific circumstances, giving them confidence as they approach retirement. 

What are the benefits of a DC pension scheme?  

A DC pension is a tax-efficient way of saving for retirement, with contributions benefiting from tax relief. 

Monitoring and ongoing governance 

We assist DC schemes in complying with all formal governance requirements. Our DC governance support includes robust monitoring and performance reporting across:

• fund performance
• key manager events 
• market review
• market outlook

We use pension analytics tools, including GEM (Governance, Engagement, Monitoring), to provide DC investment data insights and forecasting, strengthening decision-making and ensuring members stay on track for better outcomes. 

Engagement and at retirement support 

It is important for employers to have a strategy in place, not just around how to support those approaching retirement, but for all DC members throughout their savings journey. We support employers with clear communications and design, helping members make confident, informed choices at every life stage. 

Expertise and scale 

We oversee investments for more than 450 clients with over £140 billion in assets. This scale gives us the independence, insight and experience to design approaches that protect members and deliver sustainable value for employers.