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Project

Retirement Savings

Pew’s retirement savings project studies the challenges and opportunities for increasing retirement savings.

The initiative examines federal and state policy efforts to increase retirement plan coverage; studies the feasibility of policies or market practices to help improve retirees’ financial choices and decisions; and works to identify large segments of the contingent workforce that are most likely to want and need an effective retirement savings program. 

The project strives to foster policy debate and action on how best to ensure that everyone can save a sufficient amount for retirement.

Fee Calculator
Fee Calculator
Data Visualization

How Fees Affect Retirement Savings Over Time

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Data Visualization

How Fees Affect Retirement Savings Over Time

The idea that lower-than-average fees for managing retirement plans results in increased savings seems obvious, but the small percentages make it hard for many to appreciate the impact over the long term. And those seemingly small variations can make a big difference in retirement readiness. To help illustrate the potential impact of these fees over time, Pew has developed an investment fee calculator. The calculator shows the effect that fees have on retirement savings and demonstrates the benefits to savers of factoring fees into decisions on how to invest those savings.

Retirement Savings
Retirement Savings
Article

Few in Temporary or Alternative Jobs Have Access to Employer-Provided Retirement Plans

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Article

Few in Temporary or Alternative Jobs Have Access to Employer-Provided Retirement Plans

Contingent workers—those who provide services on a short-term or temporary basis—are much less likely than traditional workers to have a retirement plan at work, according to data released recently by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Getty
Getty
Article

Colorado Enacts Law to Help More Businesses Offer Retirement Benefits

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Article

Colorado Enacts Law to Help More Businesses Offer Retirement Benefits

Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed a law that will create a state-facilitated retirement savings program that automatically enrolls private-sector workers without access to employer-provided retirement benefits. Colorado joins a growing list of states that have enacted similar programs.

Barista
Barista
Report

Worker Reactions to State-Sponsored Auto-IRA Programs

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Report

Worker Reactions to State-Sponsored Auto-IRA Programs

To help inform policymakers, The Pew Charitable Trusts surveyed more than 900 workers without access to retirement plans at small and midsize businesses (those with five to 250 employees) to see how they perceive state-sponsored auto-IRA proposals. A series of focus groups provided additional context. 

Our Work

PODCAST

The American Family: The Not So Golden Years

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PODCAST

After all the hard work and child rearing, do Americans get to finally relax and retire with some financial stability? Research shows the golden age of retirement doesn’t always shine.

Retirement Plan Fees
Retirement Plan Fees
Issue Brief

Many Workers Have Limited Understanding of Retirement Plan Fees

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Issue Brief

Retirement savings plans such as 401(k)s usually place the responsibility for selecting and managing investments with individual workers. These choices can feel overwhelming for many employees, who may be unsure how much they need to save, have more pressing financial concerns than saving for what feels like a far-off retirement, and often lack the financial resources or educational background to get the information they need to make informed retirement planning choices.