It’s common to see “doom and gloom” headlines regarding the retirement accounts of American workers. While the average American has some work to do in order to get their 401(k) to an optimal point, it’s important to note the great strides that have been made over the last decade to improve retirement outcomes.
The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) recently published an article (https://www.napa-net.org/news-info/daily-news/average-401k-savings-rates-hit-record-levels-balances-bounce-back) summarizing Fidelity’s second quarter 2019 analysis of retirement savings trends in the United States. When comparing 2019 against 2009, it is encouraging to see that retirement accounts are moving in the right direction on multiple fronts: employee deferral rates, Plan participation rates, account balances, and investment diversification have all shown notable improvements during that time.
It is encouraging to see these improvements and developments over the last decade. I believe that it is the result of Plan advisors, like those at DirectAdvisors, educating Plan participants, but is also the result of participants being armed with more information than ever before about saving and investing for retirement. It has most likely also helped that there have been so much headlines and news stories about the potential retirement crisis that we are facing as a country. However, it is exciting to note that, if these trends continue, we will have many more people in much better shape heading into retirement than ever before.
If your retirement plan does not currently work with an investment advisor or consultant, we encourage you to contact us to have a conversation about how we can help your Plan participants’ retirement outcomes. At DirectAdvisors, we believe in conducting regular meetings with Plan participants and administrators in order to educate them on how to maximize their retirement Plan. We can also consult and advise on how to best position each participant’s account to maximize their chances for success.
If you would like to have a conversation with DirectAdvisors on starting this process, please contact us by phone (518-362-2119) or email (RPW.Direct.Advisors.Info@hubinternational.com) so that we can help you and your employees secure a more comfortable retirement.