In December 2010, the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform released their long-awaited document on federal debt reduction, “The Moment of Truth.” Although their guiding principles and values (pages 13-14) specifically mention the need to keep America sound over the long...

In recent years proposals have surfaced to reform the 401(k) system based on the assumption that higher-income individuals receive more tax-related benefits from these programs than do individuals in lower marginal tax brackets (as well as those who may pay no federal income taxes in a...

The analysis in this paper was designed to answer two questions: (1) What percentage of U.S. households became at risk of insufficient retirement income as a result of the financial market and real estate crisis in 2008 and 2009?; (2) Of those who are at risk, what additional savings do they...

This paper presents key findings from the 21st 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 paper expands upon earlier work by EBRI to provide the first results of a new simulation model that estimates the impact of changing 401(k) plan design variables and assumptions on retirement income adequacy. Previous research has demonstrated the large potential impact of auto-enrollment...

This paper presents key findings from the 20th 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 EBRI Retirement Readiness Rating™ was developed in 2003 using the EBRI Retirement Security Projection Model® (RSPM) to provide assessment of national retirement income prospects. The 2010 update uses the most recent data and considers retirement plan changes (e.g., automatic enrollment,...

This paper provides estimates for savings needed to cover health insurance to supplement Medicare and out-of-pocket expenses for health care services in retirement. It finds that a male age 65 in 2008 and retiring at age 65 will need anywhere from $64,000 to $159,000 in savings to cover health...

This paper provides an overview of the major provisions of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and the pension accounting changes for single-employer defined benefit plans, as well as an explanation of the expected impact of each on plan sponsors. The results of the recent EBRI/Mercer Survey of...

Past analysis using EBRI’s proprietary Retirement Security Projection Model® (RSPM) has found that roughly 44 percent of Baby Boomer and Gen X households are projected to be at-risk of running short of money in retirement, assuming they retire at age 65 and retain any net housing equity in...