--- title: What Participants’ Distribution Decisions Are Telling Us description: "“Make the smart decision the easiest decision.” \n\nThis seems like an obvious goal for plan sponsors when designing participant directed retirement plans, and it’s certainly driven the rapid adoption of the autos – auto enrollment, auto deferral escalation and auto pilot investment options, such as target date funds." --- [![Retirement Clearinghouse Logo](https://blog.rch1.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Retirement_Clearinghouse_May2022/images/logo.png?width=1000&height=648&name=logo.png "Retirement Clearinghouse Logo")](https://rch1.com/) [Privacy Policy](https://securities.rch1.com/common/PrivacyStatement.pdf) [Sponsors/Service Providers](https://rch1.com/plan-sponsors) [Individuals](https://rch1.com/individuals) [Login](https://rch1.com/#) - [Home](https://rch1.com/home-page) - [Individuals](https://rch1.com/individuals) - [Individuals Home](https://rch1.com/individuals/individuals-home) - [Who is RCH?](https://rch1.com/individuals/who-is-rch) - 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However, with regard to the portability plan feature – specifically, the participant distribution decision upon job change -- the opposite has been the case. Groundbreaking research conducted by [Boston Research Technologies](http://www.bostonrt.com/) in collaboration with Retirement Clearinghouse this past April demonstrates that participants are in fact selecting the easiest options with respect to their prior employer balances – cashouts and leaving balances behind – but those decisions aren’t the smartest. Participants know this as evidenced by the high percentage of participants who later regret their cashout decision. The research offers valuable insights into the distribution decision behavior differences across age and gender, illustrating the need for targeted communication strategies to properly influence participant behavior, and points to plan changes required to improve portability.    By managing portability – facilitating [automatic rollovers](http://www.rch1.com/automatic-rollovers) and roll-ins – plan sponsors can promote lifetime participation in retirement plans and effectively address some of the unintended consequences of the autos, such as proliferation of small accounts and [missing participants](http://www.rch1.com/missing-participants). For more information, access an [executive summary of the research’s key findings: ](https://blog.rch1.com/hubfs/MWF_Exec_Summ_GG_072215.pdf)*[Portability and The Mobile Workforce: Gender and Generational Behavioral Differences](https://blog.rch1.com/hubfs/MWF_Exec_Summ_GG_072215.pdf), *or watch the recorded [webcast with RCH CEO Spencer Williams and BRT's Warren Cormier who discuss the key findings: *Portability and The Mobile Workforce: How Job Changing Impacts Retirement Savings *in detail.](https://youtu.be/K9XWkykW3kk)  [Back](https://blog.rch1.com/blog) [![Retirement Clearinghouse An RLJ Company](https://blog.rch1.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Retirement_Clearinghouse_May2022/images/footer_logo.png?width=1000&height=648&name=footer_logo.png "Retirement Clearinghouse An RLJ Company")](https://rch1.com/) 1916 Ayrsley Town Boulevard Suite 200 Charlotte, NC 28273 - [Individuals](https://rch1.com/individuals) - [Plan Sponsors](https://rch1.com/plan-sponsors) - [Auto Portability](https://rch1.com/auto-portability) - [Company](https://rch1.com/company) - [News & Information](https://rch1.com/news) - [Mission](https://rch1.com/company/mission) - [Careers](https://rch1.com/company/careers) - [Contact Us](https://rch1.com/contact-us) - [Logins](https://rch1.com/#) - [Disclosure Central](https://rch1.com/individuals/learning-center/resources-%26-downloads) - [Do Not Sell or Share](https://blog.rch1.com/blog/what-participants-distribution-decisions-are-telling-us#decline-cookies) - [My Personal Information](https://blog.rch1.com/blog/what-participants-distribution-decisions-are-telling-us#decline-cookies) - - - Individuals should consult their tax advisers or legal counsel for advice and information concerning their particular situation. Retirement Clearinghouse does not give legal, investment, or tax advice. IRA account fees and product information provided by Retirement Clearinghouse, LLC is subject to change without notice at the discretion of the IRA Provider. RCH Shareholder Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Retirement Clearinghouse, LLC and a registered transfer agent with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. © 2026 Retirement Clearinghouse, LLC. This site is directed at, and made available to, persons in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. [Sitemap](https://rch1.com/sitemap)