Invest in your future
MERIT investment options
Investing is about putting your money to work so it grows over time and helps you meet your future needs. With MERIT, you have access to a range of investment options, allowing you to invest your contributions based on your retirement goals. Like most retirement programs, MERIT offers a variety of investment options, ranging from conservative to aggressive. How you choose to invest will depend on your risk tolerance. The descriptions below can also give you a sense of what each investment option can offer. Before making any investment decisions, seek competent financial advice.
Choose what’s best for you
When you enroll in MERIT, you have the option to stay invested in the default investment option, or you can choose your own fund(s).
Default investment option
If you choose to do nothing once enrolled, this will be your default investment choice:
Capital Preservation Option for the first 30 days after your initial contribution.
Target Retirement Date Option after 30 days for any existing savings and any future contributions.
Choose your investments
You also have the option to customize how you’d like to invest your contributions. Choose from:
Capital Preservation Option
Target Retirement Date Option
Target Retirement Date Options (2020-2070)
Bond Index Option
International Equity Option
Your default investment option
If you choose to do nothing upon your enrollment in the program, contributions made during the first 30 days will be invested temporarily in the Capital Preservation Option. After 30 days, your funds will be exchanged automatically to a default Target Retirement Date Option based on your birth year and expected retirement year.
Review your investment options
Capital Preservation option
This option is intended to be a cash-like fund that seeks to help investors preserve the value of their savings by investing in money market securities. The Capital Preservation Option is 100% invested in the State Street Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund (Ticker: GVMXX). All participants in MERIT will be enrolled automatically in the Capital Preservation Option for 30 days, unless they have chosen otherwise.
View fund summary of the Capital Preservation option
Target Retirement Date option
Each Target Retirement Date Option has a specific “target date” (e.g., 2035, 2045, 2055) and invests in a mix of stocks and bond funds based on how far away it is from its target date. Certain funds have been created to drive growth for younger investors who can take more risk and become more conservative over time to help investors preserve savings as the funds near their target dates. Target Retirement Date Options are available for savers of all ages and are usually selected by picking the fund that is closest to the year you expect to retire.
The Target Retirement Date Options are 100% invested in State Street Retirement Funds. These funds invest in an assortment of stock and bond funds managed by State Street. The Target Retirement Date Options available include:
Target Retirement Option
Target Retirement Option 2020
Target Retirement Option 2025
Target Retirement Option 2030
Target Retirement Option 2035
Target Retirement Option 2040
Target Retirement Option 2045
Target Retirement Option 2050
Target Retirement Option 2055
Target Retirement Option 2060
Target Retirement Option 2065
Target Retirement Option 2070
Bond Index option
The Bond Index Option is intended to be a more conservative option that seeks to help investors preserve the value of their savings, while still earning income by investing in bonds. The Bond Index Option is 100% invested in the State Street Aggregate Bond Index Fund (SSFEX).
View fund summary of the bond index option
International Equity Option
The International Equity Option invests in a portfolio of assets whose performance seeks to match the performance of the MSCI All Country World ex-U.S. Index. This option is designed for investors with a longer time horizon (10 years or more) and will provide the highest level of risk and the potential for higher return out of the investment options. This option is 100% invested in the BlackRock iShares MSCI Total International Index Fund (Ticker: BDOKX)
Still have questions?
We’ve got answers in our FAQs.
Ready to save? Set up your account today.
The MERIT Program is a flexible, secure, and seamless way to strengthen your financial future.
Disclaimer
It’s important to know that all investing comes with some degree of risk. Nothing on this page should be construed as investment advice. If you need help, you should consider consulting with a qualified financial advisor before deciding to invest in any fund.