Individual account retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs), have grown to be the predominant source of retirement assets for private-sector workers, and are becoming increasingly important for public-sector workers as well. Tracking the percentage of...

This paper examines the level of participation by workers in public- and private-sector employment-based pension or retirement plans, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s March 2011 Current Population Survey (CPS), the most recent data currently available (for year-end 2010). Among all...

This paper simulates (under several assumptions) the likely impact of 401(k) plan sponsors switching from voluntary enrollment systems to automatic enrollment designs with automatic escalation of contributions for a significant portion of workers (not just current 401(k) participants or those...

Target-date funds (also called quot;life-cycle fundsquot;) are a type of mutual fund that automatically rebalances its asset allocation following a predetermined pattern over time. They typically rebalance to more conservative and income-producing assets as the participant's target date of...

Over the past two decades, 401(k) plans have grown to be the most widespread private-sector employer-sponsored retirement plan in the United States, and now serve as the most popular defined contribution (DC) plan, representing the largest number of participants and assets. In 2007, 48.5 million...

Although most of the debate over Social Security has focused on retirement benefits, the program also pays disability and survivor benefits, as well. This paper looks at how retiree benefits would be affected if policymakers adhered to an oft-stated goal of preserving disability benefits. The...

This paper begins with an examination of the contributions of workers ages 21-64 to 401(k)-type plans. Next, it discusses ownership and average and median account balances of 401(k)-type plans and IRAs. The ownership of a combination of 401(k)-type plans and IRAs is then investigated across...