Fewer Americans have retirement plans than a year ago and five years ago, according to a new study by the Investment Company Institute, the mutual fund industry trade group.
ICI reported Wednesday 63 percent of U.S. families had retirement plans through work or individual retirement accounts in 2014, down from 67 percent in 2013 and 68 percent in 2009.
While participation has dropped, assets have skyrocketed.
Americans’ retirement savings have nearly doubled in five years to $7.3 trillion.
That number was helped by a growing stock market, but not an increased willingness of adults to put money away for the future.
The number of households contributing to IRAs declined to 12 percent for the 2013 tax year from 15 percent in 2012 and 15 percent again five years previous.
Rollovers dropped as well. According to ICI, among families with rollovers in their IRAs, 81 percent said they had transferred the entire balance in their most recent rollover, a dip from 85 percent the previous year and 89 percent five years ago.
More people are talking to financial advisors before withdrawing money from IRAs, according to ICI.
The study showed 64 percent of adults taking out funds in 2014 consulted with a financial advisor about making the decision, an increase from 58 percent in 2013 but down from 72 percent five years earlier.
Likewise, individuals are becoming more hesitant to make the move on their own: 7 percent did so in 2014, half the number that did in 2013.
Roughly a third of withdrawals were $20,000 or more in the 2013 tax year against only 20 percent for 2012 and 16 percent in 2008.
The bigger withdrawals may be to meet legal requirements triggered by growth in the value of individual IRAs because of the rising stock market. “Typically withdrawals from traditional IRAs were taken to fulfill required minimum distribution requirements,” said ICI in the report.
The views expressed here are that of myself or the cited individual or firm and do not constitute a recommendation, solicitation, or offer by myself, D2 Capital Management, LLC or its affiliates to buy or sell any securities, futures, options or other financial instruments or provide any investment advice or service. D2, its clients, and its employees may or may not own any of the securities (or their derivatives) mentioned in this article.
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