The Retirement Black Box
Decoding the Hidden Architecture of Target-Date Funds
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Pub Date Jan 5 2027 | Archive Date Jan 5 2027
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Description
In today’s defined contribution plans, target date funds function as default investments, guiding trillions in savings through a pre-set retirement investing strategy. But these funds are not standardized. Behind identical labels lie meaningful differences in glidepath design, asset allocation, and fees—differences that can significantly alter outcomes.
The Retirement Black Box examines these hidden structures and their implications for fiduciary responsibility. Dr. Brian Leite explains how QDIA investments embed specific assumptions about markets, participant behavior, and risk—and how those assumptions play out over time.
The book provides a clear framework for retirement plan governance, helping fiduciaries evaluate 401k default investments with greater precision. It also addresses the realities of ERISA oversight, where investment committee decisions must be documented, justified, and defensible.
With a focus on retirement risk management and investment committee oversight, this book is designed for professionals who need more than surface-level understanding. It offers practical tools, real-world examples, and a disciplined approach to assessing target date funds in context.
Advance Praise
"The Retirement Black Box gives a practical and easy-to-understand overview of target-date funds—a blueprint for plan fiduciaries and advisors to thoughtfully evaluate their options."
— Michael Goss
President & Chief Revenue Officer, Wealthspire; Cofounder, President, and Managing Partner, Fiducient Advisors
"The Retirement Black Box shines an important light on the structural decisions inside target-date funds that many fiduciaries and investors rarely see. As an outsourced CIO working closely with financial advisors and retirement plans, I appreciate how clearly this book explains why glide paths, asset allocation, and fees can shape retirement outcomes over decades. Dr. Leite provides a thoughtful and practical framework that fiduciaries can use to better understand and oversee one of the most important investment decisions in the retirement system."
— Al Cumplido, CFA
Founder & Co-CIO, AMP Consulting Group
"Target-date funds have quietly become the default retirement vehicle for millions of Americans, yet most investors have only a vague sense of how they work. Dr. Leite’s new book changes that. With clarity and care, he strips away the jargon—glide paths, equity roll downs, to-versus-through construction—and replaces it with plain language and intuitive examples that finally make these products feel knowable. The Retirement Black Box is a rare finance book that respects the reader’s intelligence without demanding a CFA to follow along. Whether you are a plan fiduciary, a curious investor, or advising clients with decades of retirement savings at stake, you will close this book with a sharper understanding of what your target date fund is really doing on your behalf—and why it matters."
— Stephanie Pierce
Deputy Head, BNY Investments
"Dr. Brian Leite’s The Retirement Black Box addresses one of the most important challenges facing Americans today: how to save for and sustain income throughout retirement. As retirement horizons lengthen and economic conditions become more uncertain, the distinction between saving 'to' retirement and investing 'through' retirement has become increasingly important. This book is a timely and thoughtful wake-up call for plan fiduciaries and participants alike, highlighting the long-term implications of target-date fund design and the impact these decisions can have on retirement outcomes."
— Judy Marlinski
Independent Chairperson of the Board, Newton Investment Management; Former President, Fidelity Institutional Asset Management; Former President, Fidelity International - Japan
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9798891886384 |
| PRICE | $29.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 288 |