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Nationwide Retirement Plan
Nationwide Retirement Plan was founded in 1926 as part of a mutual insurance company built to serve Ohio farm bureaus. Today it operates as the public-sector...
Nationwide Retirement Plan
Nationwide Retirement Plan was founded in 1926 as part of a mutual insurance company built to serve Ohio farm bureaus. Today it operates as the public-sector retirement division of Nationwide, providing deferred compensation plans, annuities and mutual funds to individuals and employers. Eric Stevenson leads the business; he also serves as Vice Chair of the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents and sits on the Employee Benefit Research Institute's board. Investment strategy centers on venture capital, with capital flowing through direct commitments and fund structures. The firm's asset-class mix spans early-stage and growth-equity venture allocations, alongside stable-value and real estate sleeves — one disclosed holding is the NVIT Real Estate Fund. Nationwide Retirement Plan maintains exclusive endorsement agreements with the United States Conference of Mayors for deferred compensation programs. Its trademark and licensing partnerships with the National Association of Counties, the International Association of Fire Fighters and the National Association of Police Organizations give it a structurally embedded distribution channel into municipal workforces from coast to coast. The firm operates from Columbus, Ohio, as part of Nationwide's broader financial ecosystem. Professional headcount and total deployment figures are not publicly disclosed. Through the Nationwide Foundation, the organization maintains a philanthropic arm that is legally separate from its investment operations. Eric Stevenson's governance footprint extends beyond the firm — in addition to his university regent role and his EBRI trustee seat, he previously served on the board of the National Association of Securities Professionals. The structural differentiator is distribution, not pure asset selection. Unlike a generic asset manager that must market itself to plan sponsors one at a time, Nationwide Retirement Plan sits inside collective-bargaining and municipal-association ecosystems — the Mayors' Conference and the first-responder unions effectively function as a pre-vetted, permissioned channel that reaches millions of public employees through their existing payroll infrastructure.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1926
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Columbus
Corporate office
Columbus, Ohio, United States
Principals
Eric Stevenson
President
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Nationwide Retirement Plan?
Eric Stevenson serves as President of the retirement-plan division. He operates within the broader Nationwide corporate structure, and information about a dedicated CIO for the retirement-plan unit is not publicly disclosed. Stevenson's board roles at the University of Oklahoma, the Employee Benefit Research Institute and his prior seat on the National Association of Securities Professionals board indicate a leadership profile that spans investment governance and public-sector relationships.
How does Nationwide Retirement Plan source its deal flow?
The firm's sourcing model is structurally tied to its endorsement agreements. Exclusive relationships with the United States Conference of Mayors and licensing partnerships with the International Association of Fire Fighters, the National Association of Police Organizations and the National Association of Counties create a distribution network that originates plan-participant flows at the municipal payroll level. Venture capital deal flow likely comes through traditional fund-commitment channels rather than proprietary direct sourcing.
Does Nationwide Retirement Plan make direct investments or only fund commitments?
The disclosed strategy is venture capital, but the firm does not publicly break out the split between direct co-investments and fund-of-fund commitments. Given its insurance-company parentage and public-sector client base, the portfolio likely skews toward fund commitments with selective co-investment participation, though this is an Altss inference rather than a confirmed fact.
What is Nationwide Retirement Plan's relationship to the Nationwide Foundation?
The Nationwide Foundation is a separate philanthropic entity affiliated with the parent company. It operates independently from the retirement-plan unit and focuses on grant-making, particularly in communities where Nationwide has a corporate presence. There is no public evidence that foundation assets are commingled with retirement-plan investment capital.
Does Nationwide Retirement Plan manage assets only for public-sector workers?
No. While its high-profile endorsement deals are with public-sector unions and municipal associations, the firm also provides retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds to private-sector employers and individual participants. The public-sector book — police, firefighters, county and city employees — is its most visible structural footprint.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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