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Home 401(k) Resource Center

 

401(k) plans hold $6.5 trillion in assets as of September 30, 2020, on behalf of more than 58 million active participants and millions of former employees and retirees. Savings rolled over from 401(k)s and other employer plans also account for about half of the $11.3 trillion held in individual retirement account assets as of September 30, 2020.

Despite the increased popularity of 401(k) plans, more can be done to help working Americans take the fullest possible advantage of the opportunity to save for retirement through these plans. Research shows that Americans will save more through defined contribution plans with proper incentives, services, and guidance. Better understanding of 401(k)s, through education and disclosure, will also boost participation.

Policymakers should also take steps to ensure that the number of workers covered by 401(k) plans continues to expand. That means encouraging more employers, small and large, to open 401(k) plans by making them as simple and accessible as possible.

This resource center provides the fund industry's perspective on developments that affect 401(k) plans and their investors, including ICI's research and analysis of the 401(k) plan market and participant activity, as well as our advocacy for cost-effective 401(k) planning tools, services, and disclosure.

Frequently Asked Questions
  • The Basics of 401(k) Plans: FAQs
    Aug 18, 2020
  • 401(k) Plan Research: FAQs
    Aug 18, 2020
  • When Will My 401(k) Balance Get Back on Track Again?
    May 7, 2020
  • Ten Important Facts About 401(k) Plans (pdf)
    Mar 30, 2020
  • 401(k) Participant Disclosure: FAQs
    Feb 8, 2018
  • Service Provider Disclosure: FAQs
    Nov 30, 2012
  • 25th Anniversary of 401(k) Plans: FAQs
    Nov 5, 2006
ICI 401(k) News
  • Steady 401(k) Participation Results in Higher Account Balances
    Oct 1, 2020
  • Retirement Savers Maintain Commitment Despite COVID-19 Economic Downturn
    Aug 19, 2020
  • BrightScope/ICI Data Indicate Plan Sponsors Design 401(k) Plans to Engage Participants
    Aug 18, 2020
  • Focus on Funds: Costs Continue to Fall for 401(k) Investors
    Jul 31, 2020
  • Americans Continue to Value Defined Contribution Plan Structure and Features
    Jan 28, 2020
Read more >>
ICI 401(k) Publications
  • Defined Contribution Plan Participants’ Activities, First Three Quarters of 2020 (pdf)
    Nov 19, 2020
  • What Does Consistent Participation in 401(k) Plans Generate? Changes in 401(k) Plan Account Balances, 2010–2018 (pdf)
    Oct 1, 2020
  • The BrightScope/ICI Defined Contribution Plan Profile: A Close Look at 401(k) Plans, 2017 (pdf)
    Aug 18, 2020
  • Defined Contribution Plan Participants’ Activities, First Half 2020 (pdf)
    Aug 18, 2020
  • The Economics of Providing 401(k) Plans: Services, Fees, and Expenses, 2019 (pdf)
    Jul 27, 2020
Read more >>
Background on 401(k) Topics
  • Focus on Funds: An End-of-Summer Checkup for Your Long-Term Savings
    Aug 28, 2020
  • Focus on Funds: Collaborative Research Highlights Three Key Features of 401(k) Plan Design
    Aug 21, 2020
  • Ten Important Facts About 401(k) Plans (pdf)
    Mar 30, 2020
  • Focus on Funds: 401(k) Disclosure Rules Meet the Modern Age
    Nov 1, 2019
  • Focus on Funds: At 40, the 401(k) Is a Savings Success
    Nov 16, 2018
Read more >>
ICI Policy Statements on 401(k) Topics
  • ICI Submits Written Statement to ERISA Advisory Council on Enhancing the Effectiveness of Disclosure for Retirement Plans (pdf)
    Aug 18, 2017
  • Letter to the Editor, Wall Street Journal: For "401(k) Pioneers," No Reason for Regrets
    Jan 10, 2017
  • Better Retirements? Build on the System’s Current Successes
    Sep 18, 2014
  • 401(k) Plans: Key in Helping Americans Achieve Secure Retirement
Read more >>
Other Resources
  • Alliance for Investor Education
  • American Association of Individual Investors
  • American Benefits Council
  • American Council of Life Insurers
  • American Savings Education Council
  • American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries
  • Department of Labor: Employee Benefits Security Administration
  • Employee Benefit Research Institute
  • Internal Revenue Service: Retirement Plans Community
  • National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
  • National Endowment for Financial Education
  • Pension Research Council at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
  • Plan Sponsor Council of America
  • Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association

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