Real estate, it’s often said, is about location, location, location. In the work force, it’s increasingly about benefits, benefits, benefits. And when it comes to benefits, as Paula Aven Gladych writes in an interesting benefitnews.com piece, a workplace-sponsored retirement plan is essential for the majority of workers. “Ninety percent of respondents to a Schwab Retirement Plan Services survey said they would think twice about taking a job if it didn’t have a 401(k) plan.” Other excerpts from the article:
“Sixty-eight percent of plan participants believe that making the best 401(k) investment choices is a key priority, even more so than staying in shape, according to Schwab. Seventy-three percent said they would rather have their 401(k) balance grow by 15% this year than lose 15 pounds.
“Even though the vast majority of participants said they think a retirement plan is an essential benefit, many admitted that they don’t use it enough because they have competing financial responsibilities.
“More than one-third of respondents said they aren’t saving for retirement because they want to take vacations and eat dinner out once in a while. Others cited unexpected expenses, covering monthly bills, paying off credit card debt and saving for education as their main reasons for not saving for retirement.
“Nearly half of respondents said that the materials explaining their 401(k) benefits are too complicated and only 58% said they know how much they need to save for retirement.
“The one bright note of the survey was that participants said they value professional 401(k) investment advice. Of the 1,000 individuals surveyed, 67% said they would like personalized investment advice for their 401(k) and 79% said they were likely to seek out professional help for making the best 401(k) investment choices.
“A very small percentage — 12% — is currently getting professional advice for their 401(k), even though nearly half say they’d expect better performance if they used advice, the survey found.
“Most participants say they don’t expect to rely on Social Security or other government programs to help them in retirement but they do believe politicians should make retirement a national priority.
“The survey was conducted online by Koski Research for Schwab Retirement Services between May 26 and June 3, 2015.”