Hewitt Research Shows Women Much Less Prepared to Retire Than Men
July 09 2008 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Despite having a more powerful presence in shaping today�s
workforce, women continue to be less prepared for retirement than
men, according to a new study by Hewitt Associates, a global human
resources consulting and outsourcing company. In fact, Hewitt�s
study not only found that women need to save more for retirement
than men, but it also highlighted that the gap between the amount
women need to save and the amount they are actually saving is
larger than the gap for men. Moreover, this gap will continue to
grow due to lower salaries, conservative investing, longer life
expectancies and higher retiree medical needs. The study, which
examined the projected retirement levels of nearly 2 million
employees at 72 large U.S. companies, found that both men and women
are on track to replace 85 percent of pay at retirement, assuming
average life expectancy. However, women, on average, need to
replace nearly 130 percent of their final pay at retirement�7
percentage points more than men. When factoring in differences in
longevity, that disparity jumps to 10 percentage points. In other
words, the average woman will need to save 2 percent of pay more
per year than the average man, over 30 years, to achieve the same
standard of living. �There are multiple barriers women face that
automatically put them at a disadvantage when it comes to meeting
adequate retirement income levels�some of which are preventable and
some of which are not,� said Alison Borland, defined contribution
consulting practice leader at Hewitt Associates. �But despite these
challenges, it is possible for women to make a significant impact
on the amount they amass in their retirement nest eggs if they are
willing to understand the challenges they face and take a few small
steps toward improving their saving and investing behaviors.�
Factors Affecting Women�s Retirement Readiness Hewitt�s study and
other research reveal that multiple factors�both financial and
socioeconomic�contribute to the gap in retirement income
replacement rates between women and men. Those factors include
women�s likelihood to: � � � -- � Make less and live longer.
Despite the fact that women's income has increased 63 percent in
the past 30 yearsi, their salaries still trail men's, with the
average woman earning just $57,000 a year compared to $84,000 for
the average man in Hewitt's study. In addition, women are expected
to live almost three years longer than men�an average of 22 years
after retirement at age 65 compared to just 19 years
post-retirement for men. As a result, most women will need to save
more to make their retirement savings last over a longer stretch of
time. In addition, because medical costs after retirement are a
flat dollar amount for all employees, those costs will consume a
higher percentage of women's retirement assets than men's. � --
Invest less assertively. Recent Hewitt research reveals that most
women have less money saved in their 401(k) plans than men. The
average plan balance for women is $56,320�nearly $47,000 less than
men. In addition, women tend to contribute less (7.3 percent of pay
versus 8.1 percent for men) to their 401(k) plan, and they are less
likely to take advantage of the employer match. Thirty percent of
women did not contribute to their 401(k) plans in 2007 and another
quarter (24 percent) did not contribute at a level high enough to
take advantage of the company match, which, according to Hewitt
research, is typically $0.50 for every dollar up to 6 percent of
pay per year. � Hewitt research also shows that women are less
aggressive than men with respect to saving and investing in their
401(k) plans. Women invest less in riskier equity investments (65
percent for women compared to 71 percent for men), and are about
half as likely as men to make a trade (13 percent versus 24
percent). � Additionally, women tend to choose investments and let
them stick more often than men. Just over a quarter (26 percent)
make changes to their contribution rate each year compared to 30
percent of men. � -- Delay retirement saving and have spotty saving
patterns. Not surprisingly, Hewitt's study reveals that the earlier
and more consistently employees save for retirement, the greater
the impact on increasing overall income replacement rates.
Unfortunately, Hewitt research also shows that women wait 2 to 4
years longer than men to start saving for retirement. In addition,
they are more likely to be in and out of the workforce for family
reasons, which can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in
missed earnings, promotions, raises and benefits over the course of
a career, including larger deficiencies in retirement savings. How
Can Women Close the Gap? Despite the challenges they face, it is
possible for women to get to a more comfortable place in
retirement. In fact, making a few easy changes to their saving and
investing behaviors can have a significant impact in helping women
shrink the retirement income gap and get to more appropriate
retirement levels. � � � -- � Invest earlier and at a more vigorous
rate. Hewitt research shows that the age at which employees start
saving has a significant impact on their retirement balances. Women
could potentially increase their nest egg by 18 percent simply by
investing 2 years earlier than they do now, or 23 percent by
investing just 4 years earlier. � In addition, women can increase
their projected retirement income rates an average of 7 percent
simply by investing just 2 percent of pay more a year in their
401(k)s. A woman who makes an average salary of $57,000 and who
increases her annual 401(k) contribution from 2 percent to 4
percent�an increase of just $95 per month�will have accumulated an
extra $81,000 by the time she reaches retirement age. What's more,
she will tack on an extra $40,500 by having contributed at a rate
high enough to take advantage of her employer's company match
program. � -- Put off retirement for a few years. While most
employees, including women, estimate they will retire by age 65,
working just 2 years longer to age 67 can increase projected
retirement replacement income levels by 13.5 percent for women who
contribute to their 401(k) plans. And because women will have more
money to live on during their years in retirement, their retiree
medical costs�typically a flat dollar amount on an annual
basis�won't eat up as large a percentage of their savings had they
retired at age 65 or earlier. � -- Take advantage of advice.
According to industry research, a staggeringly high number of
women�90 percentii�have said they feel insecure when it comes to
managing their finances. Thankfully, an increasing number of
companies offer services and tools that not only help women feel at
ease and make them more comfortable negotiating the financial
landscape, but also put them on the right track to save more money
in the long run. According to Hewitt research, 43 percent of
companies offered online, third-party investment advisory services
in 2007 and another 47 percent planned to offer them in 2008. In
addition, nearly one quarter (22 percent) offered managed accounts,
up from only 15 percent in 2007. � -- Keep money invested in 401(k)
plans. According to Hewitt research, 45 percent of employees cash
out their 401(k) plans when they leave a job. Although it seems
tempting�and intuitive�to cash out 401(k) savings, particularly
when taking time off to care for family, employees will forfeit 20
percent or more of their account's value in federal taxes and
another 10 percent in early withdrawal penalties. Women should keep
their money in their companies' 401(k) plans, even when switching
jobs or exiting the workforce. By doing so, they can continue to
grow their savings in a tax-free environment and, in many cases,
avoid higher investment fees typically associated with retirement
savings accounts offered in the retail market. About Hewitt
Associates For more than 65 years, Hewitt Associates (NYSE:HEW) has
provided clients with best-in-class human resources consulting and
outsourcing services. Hewitt consults with more than 3,000 large
and mid-size companies around the globe to develop and implement HR
business strategies covering retirement, financial and health
management; compensation and total rewards; and performance, talent
and change management. As a market leader in benefits
administration, Hewitt delivers health care and retirement programs
to millions of participants and retirees, on behalf of more than
300 organizations worldwide. In addition, more than 30 clients rely
on Hewitt to provide a broader range of human resources business
process outsourcing services to nearly a million client employees.
Located in 33 countries, Hewitt employs approximately 23,000
associates. For more information, please visit www.hewitt.com. i
Suze Orman, Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your
Destiny (Spiegel & Grau, 2007). ii 2006 Allianz Insurance
Survey
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