2009 Issue Briefs

About 37 percent of 401(k) plan participants who were offered target-date funds had at least some fraction of their account in target-date funds in 2007, and this is expected to increase as the push for better diversification of 401(k) participants’ assets intensifies from plan sponsors and policymakers, according to new analysis by EBRI. EBRI Issue Brief Mar 9, 2009 32 pages

A new EBRI analysis of the impact of the recent financial crisis on average 401(k) retirement plan balances from Jan. 1, 2008, to Jan. 20, 2009, shows that participants’ losses were largely determined by their account balance, age, and job tenure. EBRI Issue Brief Feb 23, 2009 24 pages

A new study by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) shows that workers increasingly see defined contribution plans (401(k)-type) as their primary retirement plan type, with about two-thirds of workers identifying these as their most important plan. Press release EBRI Notes Feb 9, 2009 16 pages

This new study by EBRI examines implications for employers and workers involved in capping the tax exclusion for employment-based health coverage, an issue that could come up during this year’s expected debate over overhauling the nation’s health care system. EBRI Issue Brief Jan 14, 2009 20 pages

An increasing percentage of retirement plan participants are preserving their retirement assets in tax-qualified accounts, but a significant number are using at least some these assets to pay off debts, start a business, or buy a home, according to a study released today by the EBRI. Press release EBRI Notes Jan 8, 2009 12 pages