Data and Research

The average amount in these accounts increased 7.9% from Q1, and 8.1% compared to a year ago. 

Median balances saw a 25.9% annualized increase from 2019 through 2023. 

Despite the purported interest, few expect they soon will have access to the alternative investments.  

Nearly two-thirds of retirees surveyed are concerned that their Social Security payments will not keep pace with higher costs spurred by tariffs.

Following February executive orders, research centers at the University of Michigan and Baruch College have scaled back operations. 

The aggregate market value funded percentage for U.S. defined benefit multiemployer plans is estimated at 100% as of June 30, according to Milliman.

Health care cost increases are expected to outpace employers’ forecasts for the second year in a row, according to the Business Group on Health.

Legal & General Retirement America projected $11 billion in pension risk transfer deals through the first six months of 2025, down from $26 billion in H1 2024.

According to Hub International’s 2025 U.S. Workforce Vitality Gap Index, employers may have relied on incomplete data to improve their benefits and total rewards programs.

Focus is shifting to cybersecurity from cost-cutting as demands on spending change.

The program continues to serve as a lifeline, despite its fiscal challenges. 

Students from the Harris School of Public Policy will offer their best solutions to improve the quality and sustainability of public pensions.

An EBRI study found 39% of health plan participants were unsure whether mental health services were covered in the same way as medical care.

Participants with at least $2,000 in emergency savings contributed more to their 401(k) accounts and took fewer withdrawals than those without, the firm found.

The closure followed the Social Security Administration’s cuts to research funding, announced in February. 

Congress introduced a bill this year to remove early withdrawal penalties for participants in qualified retirement plans that have been affected by fraud.  

Growth has continued on both the asset and account level in 2025.

The analysis urges plan sponsors to incorporate private credit into defined contribution plan investments, particularly target-date funds.

A much-anticipated executive order and industry promotion have led to increased attention on private investments’ inclusion in retirement plans, even though few currently offer them. 

LIMRA finds the IRA growth is driven by investors’ desires for control, consolidation, convenience and lower fees than their DC plans.