The Great Retirement Plan Savings Crisis

By John Bowens, National Education Specialist, Equity Trust Company

Is America facing a retirement plan savings crisis?

Data suggests a majority of America is not adequately prepared for retirement, forcing Americans to work longer, downsize their standard of living, make difficult sacrifices, or rely on their children or other family members. Gone are the days of corporate-sponsored pension plans with the passing of the Employee Retirement Income Securities Act (ERISA) in 1974, shifting the burden from corporations to individual workers to save for retirement.

What will future generations have to look forward to? What about Social Security? Although these issues might not be widely discussed today, a crisis is quickly surfacing and the generations beyond the baby boomer generation could be facing even greater challenges.

The sobering state of retirement readiness

Nearly half of retirees – 46 percent – have no plan if they outlive their savings, according to a 2023 Clever survey.

How likely is that to happen? According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) study in 2015, half of households age 55+ have little to no retirement savings – 41 percent of which have no savings. The average retirement savings balance for individuals ages 55-64 is $104,000, and for those ages 65-74 it’s $148,000.

Only 12 percent of retirement accounts received contributions, with an average contribution of $3,913 in 2017, according the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s (EBRI)’s most recent data. Roth IRAs were more likely to receive contributions than Traditional IRAs. As of 2022, the annual IRA contribution limit is $6,000 for individuals under the age of 50 and $7,000 for those 50 and older. (Note: you can only contribute $6,000/$7,000 combined between all IRAs you own.)

In other words, Americans are only contributing half of what they could be contributing to an IRA. Traditional and Roth IRAs carry this same contribution limit.

The great retirement plan transition – from pensions to the 401(k)

The ERISA passage in 1974 paved the way for our current retirement system and marked the start of IRAs.

The legislation included efforts around maintaining the solvency of corporate-sponsored pension plans, along with encouraging Americans to save on their own through IRA and 401(k)-type plans. The passage also spurred the great corporate migration toward the 401(k), which requires an employee to opt in and defer money from their own paycheck, rather than a company-sponsored pension plan system.

With the burden now on the taxpayers and not corporations, Americans were left to rely on Social Security and self-led financial planning to secure a stable retirement. In 1975, there were 103,346 company-offered defined benefit plans. In 2019, that number was down to 46,870.

How reliable is Social Security?

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) 2022 report: “The Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund, which pays retirement and survivor benefits, will be able to pay scheduled benefits on a timely basis until 2034, one year later than reported last year. At that time, the fund’s reserves will become depleted and continuing tax income will be sufficient to pay 77 percent of scheduled benefits.”

The boomer generation might very well be benefiting and will continue to benefit, but what about future generations?

Video: The Retirement Planning Crisis and What We Can Do About It

The gap between the boomer and millennial generation

The millennial generation, defined as those born between 1982-2004, could be facing greater challenges compared to the baby boomer generation. The wealth gap between these generations is of great concern, which can have consequences not only for millennials but also their Generation X and boomer parents and grandparents.

The boomer generation holds just over 50 percent of all U.S. household wealth, according to The Federal Reserve’s 2022 Distribution of Household Wealth Table. It seems logical that this generation would hold a larger proportion of household wealth given they have been working longer; however, according to an article written by Trust and Will, historical data suggests the wealth gap between boomers and millennials shouldn’t be as large as it is.

One could argue the migration of the pension system to the voluntary 401(k)/defined contribution system was a contributor. We also need to consider that much of the millennial generation was either graduating college or high school during the Great Recession, which started in December 2007. The millennial generation has just 6.6 percent of all household wealth, while Generation X holds nearly 30 percent.

Fast forward to 2022. One could argue this gap could become even greater with the public markets down 15-20 percent year-to-date, inflation reported at 9 percent plus, and reports of negative GDP. For those boomers who run out of retirement funds, the financial burden may transfer to the Gen X or millennial children or grandchildren who care for them. )