Auto-Enrollment Retirement Plans for the People: Choices and Outcomes in OregonSaves

John Chalmers, Olivia Mitchell, Jonathan Reuter and Mingli Zhong

No 28469, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Oregon recently launched an automatic-enrollment retirement savings program for private sector workers lacking access to other workplace retirement plans. We analyze participation choices, account balances, and inflow/outflow data using administrative records between August 2018 and April 2020. Within the small to mid-sized firms served by OregonSaves, estimated average after-tax earnings are low ($2,365 per month) and turnover rates are high (38.2% per year). Younger employees and employees in larger firms are less likely to opt out, but participation rates fall over time. The most common reason given for opting out is “I can’t afford to save at this time,” but the second most common is “I have my own retirement plan.” As of April 2020, 67,731 accounts had positive account balances, holding $51.1 million in total assets. The average balance is $754, but with considerable dispersion; younger workers accumulating the fewest assets due to higher job turnover. Overall, we conclude that OregonSaves has meaningfully increased employee savings by reducing search costs. The 34.3% of workers with positive account balances in April 2020 is comparable to the marginal increase in participation at larger firms in the private sector. Employees opting out of OregonSaves are often doing so for rational reasons.

JEL-codes: D14 G5 J26 J32 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-acc, nep-age and nep-lma
Note: AG
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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