Retirement Plan Sponsors Should Focus on Different Demographic Groups

Different retirement plan participant demographic groups face various challenges.

As different generations continue their concerns in saving for retirement, there’s one other demographic still strapped for knowledge: Women. They are more anxious about their savings than men, and face unique challenges to building retirement income.

A TIAA report finds women work for less years and gain fewer salary increases compared to men. Saving early in their careers can seem tough as well. The TIAA study found that in order for two recent college graduates to secure an equal amount in retirement savings, the male would need to save 10% of his salary, while the woman would have to put away 18% of her pay. Career breaks, whether it be caregiving or raising children; greater life expectancy and higher lifetime health insurance costs all add to the earnings gap and savings shortfall, a potential number of up to 1.3 million dollars.

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To combat these challenges, T. Rowe Price created a short, seven-episode video series on real-life experiences shared by 23 women, as well as advice about how to take back control of finances.

As for different generations, studies show Millennials need a savings rate of 22% in order to accumulate enough for retirement, with a start-date of now, due to lower expected market returns. A NerdWallet analysis reported that if a 25 year old Millennial were to wait until age 35 to save, he or she must put aside an almost impossible 34% ($16,400) annually in order to retire at age 67 with an 80% replacement income, assuming 5% annual returns. With student loans delaying most from saving, as well as 70% of Millennials preferring to travel than save, it’s possible the generation may see a bleak future in retirement.

However, there are evolving technologies and advances that exist to further assist workers in saving. Willis Towers Watson found that 66% of Millennials and Baby Boomers believe mobile apps and tools are either important or very important in managing and tracking the value of retirement savings. Furthermore, 59% of Millennials and 54% of Boomers place higher values on tools to help them track retirement goals.

For Boomers, education is particularly critical, especially since the age group is closing in on retirement each day. Even though members of the WWII generation are known for their hardworking and driven nature, a survey from Indexed Annuity Leadership Council (IALC) found that among Boomers, one in four have saved less than $5,000 for retirement. Pension income won’t cut it either, as the IRI estimated a total of 56 million Boomers will not obtain any income from pensions, and any future retirees will need more than $400,000 to replace the deficit.

Millennials and Boomers aren’t the only generations struggling to save, however. Among defined contribution (DC) plan participants in Generation X, less than four-in-ten believe they will have enough saved for retirement. Competing financial priorities are making Generation X far less confident than other generations that they will be able to make ends meet in retirement.

As all demographics continue their fight in retirement investing and saving, plan sponsors can help with targeted communications and relevant tools.

A Little Friday File Fun

In Hudson, New York, police broke into a parked car to rescue what looked like an unresponsive elderly woman, who passersby feared had frozen to death. But after smashing the window of the Subaru, officers were relieved to find the “woman” was actually just an “extremely realistic” life-sized mannequin, reports the Albany Times Union. The vehicle’s owner later returned and revealed he is a sales manager for a medical training aid manufacturer, and that the oxygen mask-wearing mannequin he’d strapped into the passenger seat is a CPR training device. He was not happy about the damage done to his Subaru.

In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a woman stole a $2,700 baby Jesus from a Nativity scene. According to the Associated Press, police say she went to the hospital just minutes after stealing the figurine, and left a note with the porcelain baby that read, in part, “Child has broken right foot which is been (sic) neglected. Parents Joseph and Mary Christ got a warning.” She is jailed on charges of theft and institutional vandalism.

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In Menomonie, Wisconsin, a police officer pulled over a speeding driver. Inside the car was a University of Wisconsin-Stout student who was very agitated. “I have to get a tie tied,” he told the officer, according to KMSP TV. “I have a presentation and I thought my buddy was home but he’s not, and I’m running behind.” So, the officer helped the student fix his tie and sent him off to his presentation with a warning.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, in a bit of irony, the New Mexico Department of Health says dozens of its employees became sick after its holiday party. The New Mexican reports that about 70 staff members say they had gastrointestinal issues after the luncheon last week. A spokesman says more than 200 employees attended the catered luncheon. Investigators have not identified a specific contaminated food.

Except for one obvious advert, here are some cool holiday hacks.

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This gift is not recommended for grandparents, unless you want to give them a heart attack.

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