Retirement plan wealth inequality: measurement and trends

Teresa Ghilarducci, Siavash Radpour and Anthony Webb

Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, 2022, vol. 21, issue 1, 119-139

Abstract: Using Health and Retirement Study data linked to summary plan descriptions and W-2s, this study reports trends in retirement wealth inequality of older employees 1992–2010. The study identifies and corrects methodological flaws in past research. Retirement wealth is highly unequally distributed; the top lifetime earnings quintile holds half of all retirement wealth, the bottom quintile, only 1%. The top earnings quintile fared better in 2010 than in 1992, whereas bottom-quintile earners fared worse. But retirement wealth inequality mainly reflects inequality within earnings quintiles, resulting from inadequate savings, not outsize accumulations. Systemic flaws reduce median retirement wealth by 84%

Date: 2022
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Working Paper: Retirement Plan Wealth Inequality: Measurement and Trends (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cup:jpenef:v:21:y:2022:i:1:p:119-139_7

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