New Study on 401(k): Failed Experiment or Solid Plan?
by joeplemon on April 12, 2010
From its high in October 2007 through its low in March 2009, the S & P Index fell nearly 57%. Many 401(k)s likewise plummeted drastically, forcing many to delay or scale back their retirements and bringing on the chorus of “failed experiment” in describing the 401(k) strategy. But is it?
A recent Transamerica Retirement Study indicates that we shouldn’t put the 401(k) out to pasture quite yet. What does the study teach us?
Greater participation
This study surveyed 3,598 full and part time for-profit workers between December 3, 2009 and January 18, 2010, discovering that 71% of the respondents had access to a 401(k) or other employee-sponsored plan at work, of which 77% contribute. Forty-one percent have saved more than $50,000 toward retirement while 29% have topped $100,000.
How are the nearly 30% of the workers who are not offered a retirement plan at work doing? Not as well. Only 22% have saved more than $50,000 and only 16% have more than $100,000 put away.
Why the high participation?
Although the market had rebounded considerably by the time the survey was taken, I am nevertheless intrigued by the 77% participation rate on the heels of the recent dismal market performance.
Catherine Collinson, president of Transamerica Center for Retirement Research shares her thoughts, “The plans offer convenience of payroll deduction, a range of investment options that may not be available to them – especially new investors – because of account minimum requirements, and education. Those are three very compelling reasons to save with 401(k) plans.”
Retirement savings outside the 401(k)
According to the report, 66% of those who have access to a plan also save for retirement outside the plan while only 57% of those without the access save for retirement…an encouraging statistic for those who are taking advantage of their work plan, but discouraging in that over 40% of those without a plan at work are not putting anything away for retirement.
Having a Retirement strategy
There is room for improvement here: 61% of workers with access to a plan have a retirement planning strategy compared with 40% of those without one, meaning, of course, that approximately half of all workers have no retirement strategy. Even more telling is that hardly any participants (9% of those with a plan and 5% of those without a plan) have actually written the plan down somewhere.
More educated
As would be expected, those who participate in 401(k) plans are more educated about retirement than those who don’t. Workers without a plan are more than twice as likely to state “not sure” when asked how their retirement savings are invested.
Long way to go
Even with these 401(k) successes, Collinson admits that America has a long way to go in preparing for retirement. For instance, those with a plan estimate that they will need a median of $800,000 to live comfortably in retirement, as compared to $500,000 estimated by those without a plan. Collinson points out that most Americans will need far more than either of these amounts.
Joe’s Summary: a jaundiced look at survey results
While I believe this survey has merit, I tend to lean toward skepticism in how numbers are interpreted. After all, Transamerica, the company who did the survey, offers a “wide array of innovative financial services and products”. They have a stake in the conclusions and could possibly spin the results. For example, they conclude that the 401(k) helped its users be more savvy investors, but one could also conclude that the reason these investors take advantage of their companys’ retirement plans is because they are already savvy. Hmmm…kind of like the chicken and the egg.
However, I see no reason for cynicism here. I am encouraged that 77% of those who have a company plan are actually taking advantage of it. The 401(k) is certainly not a silver bullet, but (especially with a company match) it is still a solid plan for those who are offered the option.