2012: Research Year in Review



As we close out 2012, and embark upon a new set of challenges in 2013, this week’s EBRIef offers a roundup of our 2012 research.  Best wishes for a Happy and Prosperous New Year!


Share EBRIef with your friends and colleagues – and let them know they can sign up for their own copy HERE

What’s New(s) – Health & Workforce

“Findings from the 2012 EBRI/MGA Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey”  MORE.

"Views on Employment-Based Health Benefits: Findings from the 2012 Health Confidence Survey"  MORE. 

“Self-Insured Health Plans: State Variation and Recent Trends by Firm Size”  MORE.

'Savings Needed for Health Expenses for People Eligible for Medicare: Some Rare Good News,' and 'IRA Asset Allocation, 2010'  MORE.

Employment-Based Retiree Health Benefits: Trends in Access and Coverage, 1997-2010”  MORE. 

“Sources of Health Insurance and Characteristics of the Uninsured: Analysis of the March 2012 Current Population Survey”  MORE.

"2012 Health Confidence Survey: Americans Remain Confident About Health Care, Concerned About Costs, Following Supreme Court Decision"  MORE.

"Satisfaction With Health Coverage and Care: Findings from the 2011 EBRI/MGA Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey"  MORE.

 “Private Health Insurance Exchanges and Defined Contribution Health Plans: Is It Déjà Vu All Over Again?”   MORE.

'Health Plan Choice: Findings from the 2011 EBRI/MGA Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey'  MORE.

'Use of Health Care Services and Access Issues by Type of Health Plan: Findings from the EBRI/MGA Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey'  MORE.

"Trends in Employment-Based Coverage Among Workers, and Access to Coverage Among Uninsured Workers, 1995-2011"  MORE.

'Characteristics of the Population With Consumer-Driven and High-Deductible Health Plans, 2005–2011'  MORE.

“Employment-Based Health Benefits: Trends in Access and Coverage, 1997-2010”  MORE.

‘Trends in Health Coverage for Part-Time Workers’  MORE.    

'Employer and Worker Contributions to Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements, 2006–2011'  MORE.

“Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements: Assets, Account Balances, and Rollovers, 2006–2011”  MORE.

'The Impact of PPACA on Employment-Based Health Coverage of Adult Children to Age 26'  MORE. 





What’s New(s) – Retirement

“401(k) Plan Asset Allocation, Account Balances, and Loan Activity in 2011”  MORE.

"Employee Tenure Trends, 1983–2012"  MORE.

“All or Nothing? An Expanded Perspective on Retirement Readiness”  MORE.

 “Employment-Based Retirement Plan Participation: Geographic Differences and Trends, 2011”  MORE.

'IRA Asset Allocation, 2010'  MORE.

“Individual Account Retirement Plans: An Analysis of the 2010 Survey of Consumer Finances”  MORE.

"Increasing Default Deferral Rates in Automatic Enrollment 401(k) Plans: The Impact on Retirement Savings Success in Plans With Automatic Escalation"  MORE.

"Is Working to Age 70 Really the Answer for Retirement Income Adequacy?"  MORE.

““After” Math: The Impact and Influence of Incentives on Benefit Policy”  MORE. 

'Own-to-Rent Transitions and Changes in Housing Equity for Older Americans'  MORE.

'Retirement Readiness Ratings and Retirement Savings Shortfalls for Gen Xers: The Impact of Eligibility for Participation in a 401(k) Plan'  MORE.  

“Effects of Nursing Home Stays on Household Portfolios”  MORE.

“Individual Retirement Account Balances, Contributions, and Rollovers, 2010: The EBRI IRA DatabaseTM”  MORE. 

"Retirement Income Adequacy for Boomers and Gen Xers: Evidence from the 2012 EBRI Retirement Security Projection Model®"  MORE. 

'Time Trends in Poverty for Older Americans Between 2001–2009'  MORE. 

‘Modifying the Federal Tax Treatment of 401(k) Plan Contributions: Projected Impact on Participant Account Balances’  MORE.

 “The 2012 Retirement Confidence Survey: Job Insecurity, Debt Weigh on Retirement Confidence, Savings”  MORE.

'Labor-force Participation Rates of the Population Age 55 and Older, 2011: After the Economic Downturn'  MORE.
 
“Expenditure Patterns of Older Americans, 2001-2009”  MORE.

'Spending Adjustments Made By Older Americans to Save Money'  MORE.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Do Roth and 401(k) Pre-Tax Holders Really Spend Differently?

Image
An interesting—and somewhat counterintuitive—report came out last week, one that cast doubt on the “common wisdom” regarding Roth versus traditional pre-tax savings. The assumption underlying the research [i] was that those who had not yet paid taxes on their savings (the traditional pre-tax savings) would be hesitant to tap into those savings and trigger taxes, certainly more so that individuals that had already paid those taxes. Instead, the research suggested that the opposite occurred; that individuals who had saved on a pre-tax basis actually withdrew more/sooner—but with a twist.  This they hailed as good news. They noted that the research suggests investing in a CT (current-taxed, or Roth) plan could help ease concerns about outliving funds—because they spend at a lower rate (though they saw this as a negative for those who saved on a deferred tax (DT) basis).  They even managed to find a silver lining in the “cloud” of faster spending by the pre-tax c...
Read more

Is the 401(k) Really a ‘Horrible’ Retirement Plan?

Image
  A recent “news” post about a blog post finds some curious “faults” with the 401(k). The news item carried the provocative title “ ‘Rich Dad’ Robert Kiyosaki Reveals Why the 401(k) Is a ‘Horrible’ Retirement Plan .” It originally ran on GoBankingRates.com, but was subsequently picked up in syndication on Yahoo Finance (at least). For the uninitiated, Robert Kiyosaki is one of those “I’ll help you get rich the way I did” types, providing that road map via books (notably “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”) and seminars. He offers comparisons to decisions made by his dad (poor dad) in contrast to those of the father of his best friend (rich dad).  Suffice it to say that his dad worked hard and saved the old-fashioned way—which is NOT his advice to you. That’s included previous pearls of wisdom like “ Why Saving Money is the Wrong Way to Prepare for Retirement .” Apparently rather than saving for retirement, we’re supposed to “look for an investment that will pay for your desired standard of l...
Read more

The Biggest 401(k) Rollover Mistake

Image
  Readers of these columns know that for years I held off rolling over my old 401(k) balances. Oh, I had rational reasons for (not) doing so; the institutional pricing of a particular fund in one, the low fees in another, the managed account option in a third—but the reality was that the process of rolling over your accumulated savings has been—and in many cases remains—painful. Rollovers are a big deal. Vanguard reports that annual contributions to IRAs ($701 billion as of 2020) far exceed all DC plan contributions, largely due to rollovers ($618 billion in 2020), while the Investment Company Institute claims that investors now hold an estimated $13.5 trillion in IRAs—“approximately $3 trillion more than in DC plans, despite the fact that 45 million fewer Americans own IRAs than participate in DC plans,” according to the report Two things, in particular, stayed my hand over the years—trying to time the liquidation of funds (I know, but I’m human), and worrying about the timing I’d...
Read more