Issue Briefs

A large percentage of American workers recognize the U.S. retirement system is undergoing major changes, but many are not adapting in ways that are likely to leave them well-positioned for a comfortable retirement, according to the 17th annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS). EBRI Issue Brief Apr 11, 2007 28 pages

Over the 12-year period from 1992-2004, the majority of 65- to 75-year-old Americans appear to have started their retirement reasonably successfully in terms of income and total wealth, but some have not done as ell, according to a report released by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). EBRI Issue Brief Feb 1, 2007 24 pages

Enactment of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 shows that Congress has endorsed the use of behavioral economics to lead individuals to make better decisions about retirement planning, according to a report by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). EBRI Issue Brief Jan 16, 2007 20 pages

This Issue Brief examines the level of participation by workers in public- and private-sector employment-based pension or retirement plans, based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s March 2006 Current Population Survey (CPS), the most recent data currently available. EBRI Issue Brief Nov 2, 2006 36 pages

A key weakness of many retirement income models is that they use average estimates for life expectancy, and, consequently, provide workers with only a 50 percent chance of having adequate income in retirement. But a new study by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) uses expanded risk analysis and provides a range of probabilities of success. The EBRI model finds that the amount of money Americans will need for an adequate retirement varies widely based on individual factors and often is substantially higher than previously estimated. EBRI Issue Brief Sep 13, 2006 36 pages

The average account balance among American workers who consistently held 401(k) accounts from 1999 through 2005 increased 50 percent despite one of the worst bear markets since the Great Depression. Among this group, the average account balance increased 10 percent in 2005, according to a study released by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and the Investment Company Institute (ICI). EBRI Issue Brief Aug 24, 2006 20 pages

A couple age 65 retiring today and living to average life expectancy would need $295,000 to cover premiums for health insurance and out-of-pocket expenses during retirement, according to a new study& by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). EBRI Issue Brief Jul 20, 2006 32 pages

This Issue Brief examines the incidence of individual account plans among families, as well as the average amount of assets accumulated in these accounts, using the most recent data from the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). EBRI Issue Brief May 4, 2006 32 pages

This Issue Brief reports findings from the 16th annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS), which suggests that many American workers are not ready to undertake the task of financial planning for their own retirement and face the prospect of having to work far longer than they expect. EBRI Issue Brief Apr 4, 2006 28 pages

This new EBRI analysis quantifies how workers are likely to be affected by pension freezes, and how much they would have to save in a 401(k)—whether provided by their employer and/or saved by themselves—to offset the loss of accrued benefits from the pension freeze. EBRI Issue Brief Mar 8, 2006 20 pages