AI Adoption Redefines Retirement Experience Rankings as Fidelity and TIAA Stay on Top

New 2025 Corporate Insight Experience Benchmark shows AI investments fueling mid-tier gains, with Empower and Transamerica closing in on digital leaders

NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The retirement plan industry continues to demonstrate measured digital progress, with Fidelity and TIAA maintaining their leadership positions and some mid-tier providers making significant gains, according to Corporate Insight's 2025 DC Plan Participant Website Experience Benchmark. The report's third edition reveals that strategic investments in AI-powered support, enhanced planning tools, and improved security features are helping providers differentiate their digital experiences.

"AI implementation is paying real dividends for early adopters," says Kara Sostar, retirement research manager at CI. "Providers that invested in AI-powered features across search, virtual assistance, and personalized content delivery in 2024 are seeing measurable score improvements this year. Firms making strategic investments in the right digital areas can quickly create meaningful competitive advantages."

Fidelity retained its first-place position with a score of 86 out of 100 (up two points, its third consecutive win), demonstrating a commitment to staying ahead. TIAA secured second place with a score of 85, posting an impressive gain of three points year-over-year and earning top three finishes in all six categories.

The benchmark shows industrywide progress, with the average score rising from 68 to 70 points.

Top Performers Make Strategic Gains
Following Fidelity and TIAA, Empower and T. Rowe Price tied for third place, both scoring 79 points. T. Rowe Price climbed one spot from last year with a four-point increase, powered by a comprehensive Contribution Details page and expanded SmartVideo offerings for personalized guidance.

Transamerica gained significant ground in a crowded midfield as the year's biggest mover, posting a five-point score increase and climbing three positions to eighth place (tied). The firm's gains came from a refreshed dashboard design, modernized education center, and updated branding throughout the site.

AI Implementation Drives Measurable Results
The benchmark identified AI-powered capabilities as a key differentiator. Fidelity's Financial Wellness dashboard delivers timely, relevant content to meet participant needs. TIAA's unique FAQ-style search results and Alight's LumenAI summaries help participants cut through conventional keyword search limitations.

"We also saw 14 firms improve their scores in the Support category," adds Sostar. "Virtual assistants continue as an area to watch, with AI implementation and expanded help content setting a new standard."

Account Information and Profile & Settings Categories See Most Improvement
Account Information remains a clear industry strength with a four-point average increase and 10 firms showing positive momentum year-over-year. This category remains the most important to participants, with 89% of survey respondents rating account balance information as "very" or "extremely" important.

Profile & Settings saw significant activity, with 13 firms improving their scores. Enhanced authentication options and login security features drove these changes, with TIAA and Vanguard introducing passwordless login capabilities and Fidelity releasing a Security Center with metrics and a security checklist.

Methodology
Corporate Insight's DC Plan Participant Website Experience Benchmark evaluates retirement provider websites using a comprehensive three-tiered framework of six categories, 28 subcategories, and over 115 attributes covering digital functionality, design, navigation, and usability. Digital platforms receive a score on a scale of 1–100, overall and for each category. Importance weightings are derived from CI's consumer survey of DC plan participants.

Organizations included in the 2025 DC Plan Participant Website Experience Benchmark: Alight, American Funds PlanPremier, American Funds RecordkeeperDirect, Charles Schwab, Corebridge Financial, Empower, Equitable, Fidelity, Lincoln Financial, Merrill, Nationwide, Principal, T. Rowe Price, TIAA, Transamerica, TruStage, Vanguard, and Voya Financial.

Purchase the full 2025 rankings and in-depth analysis shaping retirement digital strategy at Corporate Insight. Media seeking detailed rankings, key findings, and analyst perspectives, contact our press team to learn more.

About Corporate Insight
Corporate Insight (CI) delivers competitive intelligence, user experience research and consulting services to the nation's leading financial services, insurance and healthcare organizations. As the recognized industry leader in customer experience research for over 30 years, our best-in-class research platform and unique approach of analyzing the actual customer experience help organizations advance their competitive position in the marketplace.

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SOURCE Corporate Insight