
QDIAs & Consultant Expectations: Meeting Retiree Needs and Enhancing Personalization
February 26, 2025
The demand for tailored solutions is expected to drive innovation in the qualified defined investment alternative (QDIA) space as participants increasingly seek retirement solutions that reflect their individual needs.
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Download Our White Paper
Institutional consultants see two emerging trends shaping the future of QDIAs: an increased emphasis on retirees’ income needs and a growing movement toward greater personalization of investment solutions. This white paper, issued in partnership with PIMCO, assesses how plan sponsors can guide participants toward desired retirement outcomes in a changing retirement landscape.
Key Takeaways

Guaranteed and Nonguaranteed Solutions
Addressing the needs of retirees is evolving on two fronts: guaranteed and nonguaranteed solutions. 44% of consultants anticipate that, aside from off-the-shelf target- date funds (TDFs), the most significant growth among QDIA options over the next three years will be in TDFs with embedded guarantees.

Increased Personalization
Growing demand from younger participants is partly driving the movement toward personalization within QDIAs. Participants across generations place significant value on retirement income plans tailored to their personal circumstances and lifestyle expectations.
Finding a Solution
As plan sponsors consider personalized QDIAs, they must weigh the benefits of increased customization against the associated costs and engagement requirements to identify the best solution for their participants and plan objectives.
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SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS
Meet Our Research Team

Idin Eftekhari
Senior Analyst
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Idin Eftekhari
Senior Analyst
Idin is a senior analyst in Cerulli’s Retirement research practice, which specializes in the defined contribution (DC) and individual retirement account (IRA) markets.
Prior to joining Cerulli, Idin was a senior member of the Portfolio Evaluation Group at Fisher Investments, where he was responsible for providing asset allocation and benchmark recommendations for high-net-worth clients in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. During his 15+ year tenure at Fisher Investments, Idin served in multiple roles supporting the firm’s Private Client Group and Institutional Group.Full biography here.

Adam Barnett
Senior Analyst
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Adam Barnett
Senior Analyst
Adam is a member of Cerulli’s Retirement research practice, which specializes in the defined contribution (DC) and individual retirement account (IRA) markets.
Prior to joining Cerulli, Adam was a business analyst at Fidelity Investments, where he was responsible for quality control and process improvement in the beneficiary qualification division. Throughout his tenure at Fidelity, Adam served in multiple roles, including participant services with large client 401(k)s and pensions, as well as product training in the defined benefit (DB) space.
Full biography here.

Elizabeth Chiffer
Research Analyst
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Elizabeth Chiffer
Research Analyst
As an analyst on the Retirement team, Elizabeth supports research on the defined contribution (DC) and individual retirement account (IRA) markets and provides quantitative support to Cerulli’s annual reports and Edge series.
Prior to joining Cerulli, Elizabeth was a research assistant at the Boston University School of Hospitality Administration, where she worked on papers pertaining to hospitality finance and technology.Full biography here.

Mackenzey Santorella
Analyst
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Mackenzey Santorella
Analyst
As an analyst on the Retirement team, Mackenzey supports research on defined contribution and individual account markets and provides quantitative support to the annual reports and Cerulli Edge series.
Prior to joining Cerulli, Mackenzey interned at Hologic, Inc., and Wheel It Forward. She graduated summa cum laude from Fairfield University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics and minors in Applied Statistics and Marketing.
Full biography here.

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Related Resources
- Annual report
- The Cerulli Edge