Understanding Custom vs. Proprietary Target Date Funds

Target date funds (TDFs) are characterized as either proprietary or custom. The U.S. Department of Labor encourages plan fiduciaries to consider a custom solution. Custom TDFs are typically offered in separate account or collective trust vehicles. These vehicles are not registered as investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and therefore are precluded from use in 403(b) plans. Proprietary TDFs are defined as pre‐packaged investments that usually are comprised of underlying mutual funds of a single investment firm. Therefore, it can be challenging to ensure “best in class” managers are offered across the underlying funds within the proprietary TDF.