Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) are a critically important component of the assets that will be available to fund retirees' expenses. This paper examines the level of assets in these accounts, the types of financial institutions in which they are held, the breakdown of the assets into...

This paper discusses the likelihood of a family head's participation in a retirement plan as it relates to plan type, employer size, and industry, and also examines asset allocation among 401(k)-type plan participants, defined benefit plan participants, and IRA owners

American retirees will have at least $45 billion less in retirement income in 2030 than what they will need to cover basic expenditures and any expense associated with an episode of care in a nursing home or from a home health care provider. The aggregate deficit in retiree income during the...

This Issue Brief updates the work done on previous versions of the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) with results from the 2001 SCF, which provides the most recent estimates of Americans' entire portfolio of wealth. The SCF not only includes...

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy research organization based in Washington, DC, that has been researching economic security issues for almost 25 years. This EBRI Issue Brief synthesizes highlights of recent EBRI research on retirement...

This paper presents key findings from the 26th annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS), a survey that gauges the views and attitudes of working-age and retired Americans regarding retirement, their preparations for retirement, their confidence with regard to various aspects of retirement, and...

The U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) is a primary source of income data for those whose ages are associated with being retired. In response to research showing that the survey has misclassified and underreported certain types of income, the 2014 CPS included a redesigned...

This paper presents key findings from the 23rd annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS), a survey that gauges the views and attitudes of working-age and retired Americans regarding retirement, their preparations for retirement, their confidence with regard to various aspects of retirement, and...

This study completes a series using the Retirement and Pension Plan Coverage Topical Module of the 1996 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), which contains recently released data from 1998, by examining the survey's more detailed questions concerning workers' employment-based...

An advantage of defined contribution plans is that the benefits can be retained and continue to grow when an individual changes jobs because the account balances continue to receive investments returns. However, this advantage will result in increased retirement savings only if plan participants...