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1. Home
2. Research
3. Retirement Research Centers

Center for Research on IRAs

The focal point of the Center for Research on IRAs is the EBRI IRA Database,™ which through a highly secure process allows for the linking of IRA owners within and across data providers in the dataset. This allows for a more complete analysis of individuals’ total IRA account balances plus their overall asset allocation. Furthermore, as the database matures movements of balances into and out of the accounts can be studied.

Given the information available within the EBRI IRA Database,™ many important elements of IRAs owners’ behavior can be determined with respect to contributions, asset allocation, withdrawals, and rollovers. In addition, various summary statistics can be produced from the database to inform the public how IRAs are being used and the amount of dollars being held in them as well as characteristics of the owners. Moreover, results from government datasets (Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) and Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)) will also be provided to better access the overall results available on the topic of IRAs.

A list of recent papers related to the Center for Research on IRAs can be found below.

EBRI Issue Briefs

• Copeland, Craig. “Individual Account Retirement Plans: An Analysis of the 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances, With Market Adjustments to June 2009,” August 2009.
• Copeland, Craig. “How Are New Retirees Doing Financially in Retirement?” February 2007.

EBRI Notes

• Copeland, Craig. “More Detail on Lump-Sum Distributions of Workers Who Have Left a Job, 2006,” July 2009.
• Copeland, Craig. “Lump-Sum Distributions at Job Change,” January 2009.
• Copeland, Craig. “IRA Assets and Contributions, 2007,” September 2008.
• Copeland, Craig. “Ownership of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)-Type Plans,” May 2008.
• Copeland, Craig. “Total Individual Account Retirement Plan Assets, by Demographics, 2004,” March 2008.
• Copeland, Craig. “IRA Assets and Contributions, 2006,” December 2007.
• Copeland, Craig. “401(k)-Type Plans and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs),” October 2007.
• Copeland, Craig. “IRA Assets, Contributions, and Market Share,” January 2007.