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Top retirement plans see third year of gains, but concentration risks pose new challenges

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February 09, 2026 07:00 AM EST

Key Takeaways

  • Top 1000 U.S. retirement plan assets exceeded $16 trillion as of Sept. 30.
  • Federal Retirement Thrift Savings Plan became the first-ever U.S. plan to exceed $1 trillion in assets.
  • Defined contribution plan asset increases continue to outpace defined benefit plan assets because of participant domestic equity bias.
  • Plan sponsors are focusing on the challenges of AI dominance and public equity concentration.

U.S. retirement plans in Pensions & Investments’ latest annual survey reported positive gains in assets for the third year in a row, despite considerable market volatility.

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