Steady pays off for 401(k)s

From its annual EBRI/ICI 401(k) database update report, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) examined how a consistent group of participants accumulated retirement assets for the eight-year period 1999-2007 (consistent meaning those with accounts at the end of each year from 1999 thru 2007).

For consistent participants at year-end 2007:

• The average 401(k) account grew 9.5% annually to $137,430, double the average account balance among all database participants.
• The median 401(k) account grew 15.2% annually to $76,946, more than four times the median account balance among all database participants.

What Does Consistent Participation in 401(k) Plans Generate? July 2009
      Issue Brief (pdf, 16pp/368kB),
      Executive Summary