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401(k) Cashout Leakage: A Reality, Not a “Narrative”
In his latest article in Consolidation Corner, RCH's Tom Hawkins provides his take on the topic of 401(k) cashout leakage, examining a recent study by the Investment Company Institute (ICI). Hawkins writes that the ICI study -- while using an innovative approach to mine 2010 tax data -- fell short in providing accurate or timely estimates of 401(k) cashout leakage levels, which are best-reflected in research conducted by EBRI, by large recordkeepers and summarized by the Savings Preservation Working Group.
New Research Confirms Clear Shift Towards Plan-to-Plan Portability
The Surprising Migratory Patterns of Job-Changing Participants
In his latest Consolidation Corner article, RCH President & CEO Spencer Williams utilizes EBRI data to examine the migratory patterns of job-changing participants. Looking specifically at the size of their former employers' plans (expressed in terms of numbers of participants) compared to the size of their most-recent active plan, Williams finds that the vast majority (82.98%) of these participants go to an employer with a plan equal in size, or larger than, their former employer’s plan. Only 17.02% of participants go to employers with smaller plans, and a mere 1.9% leave employers with large plans to go to an employer with a small plan (less than 100 participants). This data, says Williams, should significantly allay industry concerns that the adoption of auto portability for small balances could result in harmful participant outcomes.
The Magnitude of the 401(k) Cashout Leakage Problem
In his five-part series in Consolidation Corner, RCH's Tom Hawkins sheds light on the problem of cashout leakage, a silent crisis that unnecessarily robs millions of Americans of their retirement security. In his third article in the series, Hawkins examines the magnitude of the 401(k) cashout leakage problem, sharing new statistics recently supplied by EBRI, and offering some interesting comparisons so the reader can fully-grasp the enormity of the problem.
The Demographics of 401(k) Cashout Leakage
In his five-part series in Consolidation Corner, RCH's Tom
Hawkins sheds light on the problem of cashout leakage, a silent crisis that
unnecessarily robs millions of Americans of their retirement security. In his
second article in the series, Hawkins examines the demographics of 401(k)
cashout leakage, identifying those segments of the population most impacted by
the problem, as well as those who stand to benefit the most from a solution.
LIMRA Webinar Features Michael Kreps’ Update on Auto Portability
EBRI Webinar Examines Impact of Tenure on Retirement Savings
RCH's Tom Hawkins summarizes the April 10th EBRI webinar Trends in Employee Tenure, which offered EBRI’s latest
research examining broad employee tenure trends, and the impact that shorter
tenure has on retirement savings. The webinar’s presenters included Craig
Copeland, EBRI and Spencer Williams, Retirement Clearinghouse (RCH), and was
moderated by Stacy Schaus, Schaus Group LLC. In his portion of the
presentation, Williams introduced the concept of “synthetic tenure” – whereby
enhancing system-wide portability -- particularly for small accounts -- enables
participants to preserve their savings through job changes, mirroring the
success of EBRI’s longer-tenured, “consistent participation” population.
Auto Portability Boosts 401(k) Plan Results in New EBRI Research
RCH's Tom Hawkins examines new research, authored by EBRI Research Director Jack VanDerhei, Ph.D., comparing the retirement income generated by 401(k) plans with auto enrollment against defined benefit (DB) plans. While EBRI's primary objective was to address growing concern over the relative decline of DB plans, the study also identified significant, incremental benefits of auto portability, adding to a growing body of research from EBRI demonstrating that auto portability increases retirement security for 401(k) participants.