Private Pensions

As people age and require more assistance with daily living and health needs, a range of housing and care options is available. Over the past four decades the market for seniors housing and care—including assisted living and independent living communities—has greatly expanded to accommodate people with more complex needs. These settings provide housing in a […]

Working consistently through one’s fifties and early sixties is key to attaining retirement security. However, workers also need access to retirement plans – so they can continue to accumulate resources – and health insurance – so they can avoid withdrawing assets in the event of a health shock. Workers without access to these benefits will […]

Recent research has called attention to alternative employment arrangements that often leave workers without retirement and health benefits and with income instability.  At the same time, workers are facing increasing competition from automation and globalization.  This competition is of special concern for older workers, who increasingly need longer careers to secure an adequate retirement and […]

Introduction The key supplement to Social Security benefits is accumulations in employer-sponsored retirement plans. Increasingly these accumulations occur in 401(k) plans and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). The release of the Federal Reserve’s 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) is a great opportunity to see how a strengthening economy, the continued maturation of the 401(k) system, […]

The brief’s key findings are: The analysis compares returns by plan type from 1990-2012 using data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Form 5500. During this period, defined benefit plans outperformed 401(k)s by an average of 0.7 percent per year, even after controlling for plan size and asset allocation. In addition, much of the money accumulated in 401(k)s […]

What’s the number one way that workers save for retirement? Job-based 401(k) plans, which provide a vehicle for workers to put aside pre-tax dollars that are often matched by their employers. About one-third of American workers lack access to a retirement plan at work. While workers without access to a workplace plan can save on […]