Charles Schwab Corp. is offering employers that sponsor 401(k) retirement plans a package of mutual funds that track a market index to lower costs, the San Francisco-based firm said today.

"If you combine low-cost index funds with a comprehensive advice feature, you're placing people in a service that's going to maximize their benefit," said Steve Anderson, senior vice president of retirement plan services. Schwab serves about 1.5 million participants totaling about $90 billion in assets, he said. Fidelity Investments, based in Boston, is the largest 401(k) provider with almost 11.7 million savers.

Schwab is trying to tap into the increasing popularity of index-based investing as regulators, employers who sponsor retirement plans and investors focus more on fees. Employers who choose "Schwab Index Advantage" for their plans can let workers choose from a lineup of so-called passively managed index mutual funds from several companies such as Schwab, Vanguard Group Inc. and BlackRock Inc., said Anderson.

Americans held about $2.9 trillion in 401(k) accounts as of Sept. 30, according to the Investment Company Institute. Workers pay an average of 91 percent of the costs associated with 401(k)-type plans, according to a November report by Deloitte LLP for ICI, the Washington-based trade group for the mutual- fund industry. The median fee was 0.78 percent of assets, or about $248 per participant, the 2011 study said.

The Schwab index-fund portfolio will have an operating expense ratio of about 20 basis points to 25 basis points, said Anderson. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point. The offering will be packaged with an advisory service including annual rebalancing and individual consultations that will cost another 45 basis points or less, he said.

Guided Choice

The package from Schwab also includes an interest-bearing savings option insured up to $250,000 by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. through Schwab Bank.

GuidedChoice, a San Diego, California-based independent advisory firm, will provide the advice and asset allocation services, Anderson said.

About 32 percent of employers that sponsor 401(k) plans replaced a fund or manager last year because of performance, according to a study released yesterday by Callan Associates. About 45 percent of plan sponsors increased their use of passive funds in 2011, while 7 percent increased use of active funds, the study said.

The increase likely is tied to the attention on high fees, which index funds can help manage, Lori Lucas, defined contribution practice leader for San Francisco-based Callan.

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