Empower said Wednesday that Blackstone Inc (NYSE:BX) has joined its private-markets investment partnership program, a move the company says will broaden access to alternative strategies for millions of retirement savers.
The initiative allows defined‑contribution plans to add exposure to private equity, private credit, infrastructure, and real estate through collective investment trust structures — an area Empower has been pushing to expand as plan sponsors look beyond traditional stock‑and‑bond mixes, the provider of retirement and wealth management solutions said in a press release.
“Our goal is to bring the power of private market investing — delivered through advice and risk-appropriate structures — to millions of Americans who previously lacked access,” Edmund F. Murphy III, president and CEO of Empower said in the statement.
Why Blackstone Wants In
Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager, with over $1.2 trillion in assets under management. The firm has a dedicated business unit focused on retirement solutions — underscoring its commitment to bringing private markets access to workplace-savings vehicles.
“Partnering with Empower reflects our shared belief that private markets can play an important role in helping more Americans plan for the future and build long-term financial security,” Blackstone President and COO Jon Gray said. “Bringing Blackstone’s leading investment strategies into defined contribution plans enables retirement savers to access the same opportunities previously only available to institutional investors.”
Heather von Zuben, global head of retirement solutions for Blackstone, added, “Opening private markets to a broader universe of individual investors is an important evolution in how Americans can benefit from enhanced returns and diversification as they look to build wealth for the future.”
The Structure Behind The Strategy
Empower enables employers to offer private market CITs within their plan’s investment lineup, provided they partner with an advisor to deliver the solution through an advice-based managed account. Within this managed-account platform, allocations are tailored to each individual’s risk tolerance, time horizon and long-term financial goals.
Empower’s program is designed to give participants the potential benefits associated with private market investing — including diversification and new sources of long-term return — within the guardrails of a structure built for liquidity management and fee efficiency.
Empower administers approximately $2 trillion in assets for more than 19 million investors through the provision of retirement plans, advice, wealth management and investments.
Blackstone offers access to institutional-caliber investment opportunities across private equity, real estate, private credit and infrastructure. The firm was a first mover in the individual investor space, with a track record of providing private markets solutions to individuals since 2002.
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