Skip to content Skip to main menu
WhartonLogo for The Wharton School
  • Faculty
  • Youth Program
  • Undergrad
  • MBA
  • EMBA
  • PhD
  • Exec Ed
  • Wharton Online
  • Alumni
  • Knowledge at Wharton
Search Wharton
Pension Research Council
Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • Advisory Board
    • Research Projects
  • Membership
  • Conferences
  • Publications
    • Books
    • Working Papers
    • Reprints & Appendices
      • Reprinting and Distribution Policy
  • The Boettner Center
  • News
  • RetireSecure Blog
  • PRC Links

401(k)

401(k) plans leading the way toward retirement security, but room for growth, experts say

A couple sitting at a table in a bright room, reviewing a document and an electronic tablet. There are two mugs and a smartphone on the table.

Unlocking retirement potential: 401(k) plans have improved retirement prospects yet many still expose retirement savers to longevity risk. Wharton Professor Olivia S. Mitchell recommends bolstering #DC plans with deferred annuities. Via PIOnline.…Read More

November 13, 2023   |   News and Media 401(k), annuities, deferred annuities, defined contribution, longevity risk, retirement

UAW wants pensions back. Automakers really don’t

A mechanic with glasses and gloves working on a car engine inside an automotive garage. Sunlight is streaming in, illuminating the scene.

Though the United Auto Workers want traditional defined benefit plans restored, Olivia S. Mitchell, Executive Director of Wharton’s Pension Research Council argues that deferred annuities in a 401(k) plan provide more secure retirement incomes for today’s labor force, via Investment News.…Read More

November 7, 2023   |   News and Media 401(k), defined benefit pension plans, retirement

The UAW’s ‘record contract’ hinges on pensions, battery plants

An automotive assembly line with several partially assembled car bodies. Workers in blue uniforms are inspecting or working on the vehicles. The environment is industrial and brightly lit.

Including annuity options in company 401(k) plans could provide UAW retirees assurance of lifetime income, says Wharton Professor Olivia S. Mitchell, via Reuters.…Read More

October 24, 2023   |   News and Media 401(k), annuity, lifetime income, retirement

Americans Tap 401(k) Plans After Hurricanes and Natural Disasters

Satellite view of a large hurricane swirling over the Gulf of Mexico, nearing the coastlines of the southern United States, particularly Florida, with visible cloud patterns and the eye of the storm.

Defaults on 401(k) disaster-relief hardship withdrawals trigger income tax plus a 10% penalty explains, Wharton Professor Olivia S. Mitchell via the WSJ.…Read More

October 24, 2022   |   News and Media 401(k), 401(k) withdrawals, retirement

Long Overdue, Pension Auto Portability Is Coming

A miniature shopping cart containing a roll of US dollar bills, set against a plain background. This represents concepts of shopping, spending, or financial investment.

Auto portability facilitates transfer of Americans’ 401(k) funds to new employers, keeping savings in the retirement system: Michael Kreps of Groom Law Group, at the RetireSecure blog.…Read More

March 2, 2022   |   RetireSecure Blog 401(k), auto portability, retirement, saving

Pure target-date fund investors see significantly more gains

A person in a suit stands looking out of a large window, with a cityscape and tall buildings visible in the background.

Target-date funds in 401(k) plans can provide better returns, according to a new study by Wharton Prof. Olivia S. Mitchell and Stephen P. Utkus of Vanguard, cited in Pensions & Investments.…Read More

March 30, 2020   |   News and Media 401(k), retirement, retirement security, target date funds, TDFs

Americans will soon be able to take penalty-free withdrawals from their 401(k)s, but experts say think twice about using retirement savings

Two people working on laptops in a modern office with large windows. One is focused on a laptop in the foreground, wearing a beanie and earphones; the other is sitting on a sofa in the background.

New CARES Act lets Americans take penalty-free withdrawals from their retirement savings, but many have no retirement accounts, while those who do cash out could face future shortfalls, Wharton Prof. Olivia S. Mitchell explains to CNBC Make It.…Read More

March 26, 2020   |   News and Media 401(k), CARES Act, retirement, retirement security

This one change can improve your retirement wealth by 50%

Two people sitting and discussing something on a laptop screen in a library or cafe setting, one wearing a denim jacket and headscarf.

Mark Hulbert of MarketWatch cites new work by Wharton’s Prof. Olivia S. Mitchell & Stephen P. Utkus of Vanguard, showing that using target-date funds as 401(k) plan defaults makes participants far more likely to invest in them. …Read More

February 20, 2020   |   News and Media 401(k), financial security, retirement, target date funds, TDFs

What ‘Rothifying’ 401(k)s Would Mean for Retirees

A person in a denim shirt is sitting at a cafe table, looking at a laptop with a thoughtful expression. A cup of coffee is next to the laptop. Reflections in the glass create a blurred, artistic effect.

Taxing contributions to retirement accounts, or “Rothification,” boosts tax revenue in the short term. However, it would harm workers in the longer term, particularly the lower-paid, report Profs. Olivia S. Mitchell of Wharton and Raimond Maurer of Goethe University Frankfurt in the Wall Street Journal, citing their study.…Read More

February 19, 2020   |   News and Media 401(k), financial security, retirement, rothification

Economists say a recession is coming: How can 401(k) investors prepare?

A person with dreadlocks is sitting at a desk, looking out a window. On the desk are a laptop, a smartphone, a lamp, and a small plant.

Borrowing against your retirement savings can be tempting but counterproductive in a recession, says Nick Strain at MarketWatch, citing “Borrowing from the Future: 401(k) Plan Loans and Loan Defaults,” the Pension Research Council study by Timothy Jun Lu, Olivia S. Mitchell, Stephen P. Utkus and Jean A. Young.…Read More

December 19, 2019   |   News and Media 401(k), financial security, recession, retirement

Posts navigation

← Older posts
Newer posts →
Back To Top
Additional Links
    Pension Research Council
    • Home
    • About
    • Membership
    • Conferences
    • Publications
    • The Boettner Center
    • News
    • RetireSecure Blog
    • PRC Links
    Featured Links
  • Programs
  • Undergraduate
  • MBA
  • EMBA
  • Doctorate
  • Executive Education
  • Wharton Online
  • Locations
  • Philadelphia
  • San Francisco
  • Beijing
  • The Power of Wharton
  • Global Influence
  • Analytics
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation
  • Featured
  • Give to Wharton
  • Alumni
  • Knowledge@Wharton
  • Recruiters & Corporations
  • Wharton
  • Faculty
  • About Us
  • Research Centers
  • Departments
  • Resources
  • Contact Us
  • News
  • Faculty & Staff
The University of Pennsylvania
    Support Wharton
    ©2025 The Wharton School,  The University of Pennsylvania  |  Pension Research Council  |  Privacy Policy  |  Report Accessibility Issues and Get Help