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Publication Date: April 2014
Publisher: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College
Author(s): April Yanyuan Wu; Matthew S. Rutledge; Jacob Penglase
Research Area: Labor
Keywords: Financing retirement
Type: Report
Coverage: United States
Abstract:
The brief’s key findings are:
Obtaining an employer pension involves four steps: 1) having a job; 2) working for a firm with a plan; 3) being eligible for the plan; and 4) taking up the plan.
For lower-income individuals, the weakest links in this chain are a lack of employment and employment with firms that do not offer a plan.
Take-up rates are less of a factor, but will become increasingly important as voluntary 401(k)s continue to replace mandatory defined benefit plans.
The most effective policy solution for boosting pension participation would be to provide all workers with access to a plan and automatically enroll them.