LIFEPATH® TARGET DATE FUNDS

BlackRock’s LifePath® Target Date Fund Platform

LIFEPATH DYNAMIC: ACTIVE TDF

Gold-rated active TDF built to adapt and outperform.1

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LIFEPATH INDEX: INDEX TDF

Low-cost access to research IP in a Gold-rated index TDF.2

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RETIREMENT INCOME

Target date strategy with an optional lifetime income stream.

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Targeting the right risk, at the right time, across a lifetime.

BlackRock LifePath target date funds are diversified retirement investment strategies built for defined contribution plans and long-term retirement savers. The platform includes active, index, income and customs solutions designed to help participants manage risk throughout their working years to support spending in retirement.

LifePath® sets the P.A.T.H. for retirement

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Precise glidepath

Built to navigate the tradeoffs between growth, income, and risk—starting at 99% equity for growth and stabilizing risk at retirement to support consistent spending.
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Anchored in research

A dedicated investment team studies how people earn, save, and spend—informing a glidepath designed to evolve with investor needs and potentially improve retirement outcomes.
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Target date platform

LifePath offers active, index, income, and custom target date strategies—giving advisors the flexibility to choose the right implementation for their clients’ needs.
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Human-centered

As the #1 DC investment-only provider, ³ our goal is helping people retire better. LifePath’s Participant Engagement program helps improve savings behaviors and outcomes.

(P)recise glidepath

Graph of the LifePath glidepath illustrating how equity and equity-like allocation changes from 45 years before retirement through retirement. The chart highlights three phases: accumulation, retirement window, and retirement spending.

 Source: BlackRock, Morningstar Direct as of 12/31/2025. LifePath is represented by LifePath Dynamic series. Peer glidepaths represent actual allocations from select category constituents based on relative age. Peer group sourced from largest target date funds by AUM according to Morningstar.

Growth when investors have time on their side

99% equity exposure early in the journey seeks to maximize long-term growth potential during the accumulation years.

Managing risk as retirement approaches

Equity exposure is gradually reduced during the retirement window (the years before and after retirement) when losses can have the greatest impact.

Spending confidence in retirement

The glidepath seeks to maintain a steady level of risk through retirement to support consistent spending.

(A)nchored in research

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Philosophy

Philosophy

Over three decades of ongoing research-driven enhancements

We believe better outcomes start with better research. Our approach is grounded in three areas: studying participant behavior, modeling markets through changing conditions, and continuously innovating. Together, these insights help us build solutions designed to deliver stronger retirement outcomes.

Explore ‘Inside retirement’ with BlackRock Explore ‘Inside retirement’ with BlackRock
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2026 research

2026 de-risking research

Rethinking lifecycle investing in a longer-life world

Our updated models now incorporate broader population data and more realistic assumptions about income stability and longer lifespans. This all supports a slower, more measured reduction in risk between ages 45 and 60, potentially resulting in greater wealth at retirement for a significant percentage of individuals.

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2022 – 2024 research

2022 – 2024 inflation research

Inflation hedging revisited

Our research found that earnings growth tends to outpace inflation across a range of economic environments, providing natural inflation protection earlier in life. Learn how this insight informed glidepath enhancements designed to increase growth potential for younger investors while strengthening inflation resilience through retirement.

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(T)arget date platform

LifePath is a flexible target date platform with multiple implementations—so you can choose the approach that best fits your plan’s design and participant needs. Explore our range of solutions.

LifePath Index Morningstar Analyst Gold Rating

LifePath Index

Our flagship solution provides low-cost access to BlackRock's strategic asset allocation methodology, backed by three decades of research and investment expertise.
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LifePath Dynamic Morningstar Analyst Gold Rating

LifePath Dynamic

Built on LifePath Index's time-tested glidepath, the active series adds a steering wheel to navigate markets, aiming to generate alpha over the long term.
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Retirement income

Built on LifePath Index's proven glidepath, this solution gives participants the option to convert a portion of their savings into optional lifetime income.
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Growth strategy

Built on LifePath Index's proven glidepath, this growth strategy is designed to maximize long-term growth through higher equity exposure.
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LifePath Dynamic Morningstar Analyst Gold Rating

LifePath ETFs

The LifePath engine, now available through ETFs, gives investors without a workplace plan access to a professionally managed portfolio that automatically adjusts over time.
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Private markets

Discover our approach to integrating private markets into 401(k)s and learn how BlackRock is powering Great Gray’s solution with private assets.
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Alpha refers to excess return generated by active decisions, measured relative to the investable LifePath Index (LPI) Funds. Morningstar awarded the LifePath Index Funds [Class K] a gold medal on April 25, 2026 and LifePath Dynamic Funds [Class K] a gold medal as of May 21, 2026. Analyst Driven %, Data Coverage %, and Morningstar has awarded the LifePath Target Date ETF series a Gold medal, its highest level of conviction (effective 27 April 2026). 4

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LifePath fund search

Use our filter to search for LifePath funds by share class and vintage. See performance, fees, access factsheets and more.
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Contact our dedicated retirement team

Connect with our dedicated retirement team for resources and support to help you grow your retirement plan business.
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(H)uman-centered

As the #1 DC investment-only provider, our only goal is helping people retire better. LifePath’s Participant Engagement program helps improve savings behaviors and outcomes.

35
million Americans

supported through plans we power, including more than half of the country’s public-school teachers.5

Increase1
Trillion in wealth assets

Including allocations to ETFs, contributing to roughly a quarter of the firm’s revenue.6

$8
billion in emergency savings

reaching over 22 million Americans since 2019, enabled by nonprofits through BlackRock’s Emergency Savings Initiative.7

LifePath’s Participant Engagement program

Our participant engagement solutions are designed to help improve retirement readiness through personalized communications, financial wellness resources, plan design insights and industry-leading participant engagement strategies.
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WHAT'S TRENDING

Five key trends shaping retirement

Explore five trends shaping the future of retirement, from individualized pensions and lifetime income to small-plan growth and policy innovation.

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FAQs

  • LifePath is BlackRock’s target date fund platform. It is research-intensive broad lineup of gold-rated retirement solutions that evolve to target the right risk at the right time across a lifetime.

  • BlackRock LifePath target date funds are diversified retirement investment strategies built for defined contribution plans and long-term retirement savers. The platform includes active, index, income and customs solutions designed to help participants manage risk throughout their working years and into retirement.

  • The glidepath determines how investment risk changes over time and can significantly influence participant outcomes, including retirement balances and spending potential. LifePath's glidepath is informed by decades of research into how participants earn, save, and spend throughout their retirement journey.

  • LifePath is designed to deliver the right risk at the right time across a participant's lifetime. The glidepath begins with a growth-oriented allocation for younger investors and evolves over time as retirement approaches and spending needs become increasingly important.

  • LifePath is supported by a dedicated team that studies participant earnings, savings behavior, spending patterns, longevity, and retirement outcomes. Insights from this research help inform ongoing glidepath enhancements and platform evolution.

  • LifePath was designed to address retirement outcomes across a participant's full journey—not just at retirement. The glidepath reflects decades of research into participant behavior, savings patterns, spending needs, and retirement risks.

  • Retirement has changed significantly. Participants are living longer, savings rates have declined, and retirement planning increasingly includes both accumulation and decumulation considerations. These shifts have influenced how modern glidepaths are designed.