Employees in the not-for-profit sector, in which access to defined benefit plans is nearly twice as common as in the for-profit sector, are slightly more confident that their retirement savings will last them throughout retirement.

That’s according to data from the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute, which found that among for-profit employees, participation rates for defined contribution plans were high, at 84 percent overall.

Among workers in companies with less than 100 employees, 80 percent participated; companies with 100-2,499 workers had the highest participation rates, at 89 percent; and at companies with 2,500 or more employees, 83 percent participated.

The median deferral rate for those define contribution plan participants was 8 percent at the small companies, 7 percent at the medium-size ones and 6 percent at the largest, while the average account balance was $135,245.

But despite that average account balance — considerably higher than many other estimates, including a recent average of $96,288 from Vanguard of its plan participants — just 54 percent of employees are confident that their savings will last them through retirement.

And among for-profit employees, only 16 percent have access to defined benefit plans.

Among not-for-profit employees, the picture is a little different. Nearly 35 percent have access to a defined benefit plan, but also have higher participation rates than for-profit employees in defined contribution plans at 86 percent. That participation rate varies by the sector within the not-for-profit milieu, with 86 percent of those within education participating; 82 percent of those working for nonprofits such as hospitals or healthcare providers; and 88 percent of those working in the government sector.

The median deferral rate overall in the not-for-profit sector is 8 percent, with government employees socking away the most at 9 percent, and education and non-profit workers saving a median rate of 7 percent.

The average defined contribution plan balance among not-for-profit employees is lower than that for for-profit employees, at $104,107, yet 58 percent of not-for-profit employees are confident that their savings will last them throughout retirement.

They also plan to retire earlier than their for-profit counterparts. Among for-profit employees, those at the small and medium-sized companies expect to retire at age 62, while those at the large companies expect to retire at 63. But not-for-profit employees in the education field plan to retire at age 56, while those in government are looking at age 59 and those in other non-profits are aiming for 62.

Instant Insights /

Not-for-profit sector employees more confident about retirement plan than for-profit

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