Automatic offers an innovative new way to think about how Americans can save for retirement.
 Over the past quarter century, America's pension system has shifted away from defined benefit plans and toward defined contribution savings programs such as 401(k)s and IRAs. There is much to be done to improve the defined contribution system. Many workers fail to participate and those who do often contribute too little, invest the funds poorly, and are not adequately prepared to manage funds while in retirement.
 To resolve these problems, the authors propose that employees should be automatically enrolled into a 401(k) plan when they are hired, with the right to opt out, change the amount that they contribute, or change investment choices if they choose. If the employer does not sponsor a 401(k) or similar retirement plan, they would be enrolled in a payroll deduction Automatic IRA. This vision of a transformed defined contribution system incorporates key positive features of defined benefit plans to improve retirement security. Employess contributions would increase over time, their investments would benefit from professional management and rebalancing, and they would receive lifetime income upon retirement. These automatic features will make the 401(k) and similar plans a more effective tool for retirement saving, and they can be extended to the many workers who do not currently have access to an employer plan.
 In Automatic, the authors present proposals to implement automatic features in all phases of the 401(k) and in IRAs for workers with no employer plan. They also draw from the experience of countries that have implemented automatic saving structures.

Automatic: Changing the Way America Saves

Business & Money

Gale, William G.

Iwry, J. Mark

John, David C.

Economics

Brookings Institution Press

Aging Gracefully gathers a collection of essays that highlight policy ideas for promoting greater retirement savings among Americans. The essays were written as part of the Retirement Security Project, which is dedicated to promoting common sense solutions to improve the retirement income prospects of millions of American workers. The project is supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, in partnership with Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute and the Brookings Institution. The essays included in this volume address issues such as: How an "automatic 401(k)" would encourage greater savings. How better structured 401(k) investments can reduce risks and increase growth. What impact the preferential tax treatment given IRAs and 401(k) plans has on low-income families. How IRA-contribution matching by employers can encourage low- and middle-income families to save more.

Aging Gracefully: Ideas to Improve Retirement Security in America

Orszag, Peter R.

Parenting & Relationships

The Century Foundation

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