This paper examines the level of - and trends in - IRA assets. In addition, recently released Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data provide more detailed information on the distribution of assets and contributions to IRAs by IRA type, thereby permitting analysis of the assets and contribution...

When predicting the future income security of retirees, researchers typically focus on measures concerned with retirees' accumulated financial assets, particularly within tax-qualified retirement plans (e.g., 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs)), and coverage by supplemental...

A previous EBRI Notes (April 2006) examined the impact of various Social Security reform alternatives on the percentage of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) beneficiaries below specific thresholds of poverty. This paper builds upon that study by determining the change in the distribution of...

This paper examines changes in the distribution of Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) benefits (the primary Social Security program) resulting from various widely discussed Social Security reform alternatives. It focuses on five alternatives: Current-law benefits; gradually reducing...

This paper reports findings from the 16th annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS), which suggest that many American workers are not ready to undertake the task of financial planning for their retirement and face the prospect of having to work far longer than they expect. The RCS finds that...

This paper examines the level of assets contained in IRAs and Keoghs; the amount of tax-deductible contributions to them, with a particular focus on IRAs; and the demographic characteristics associated with those who make tax-deductible contributions to traditional IRAs and Keoghs. It should be...

This paper focuses on the decisions that workers make upon receipt of a lump-sum payment from an employment-based retirement plan: rolling the account balance over to another tax-qualified savings vehicle, spending the assets, or investing the assets in another manner. The number and amounts of...

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...

This paper examines the level of assets contained in IRAs and Keoghs; the amount of tax-deductible contributions to them, with a particular focus on IRAs; and the demographic characteristics associated with those who contribute to tax-deductible IRAs. IRA asset levels increased continuously from...