The Aspen Institute

Many believe that the best way to improve 401(k) performance is to “fix the people,” that is, to educate participants to make better investment decisions or, failing that, to offer them, at their own, substantial expense, personal advisors to assist them in making better decisions. Aspen IFS recognizes that there are behavioral challenges to turning people into savers and savers into investors. It believes, however, that the better, and cheaper, alternative to “fixing the people” is “fixing the product”, that is, offering plan participants an investment option that mitigates the need for complex decision-making and professional advice yet is capable of delivering superior returns at a low cost.