Investor Protection

High-Cost Small Company 401(k) Plans Can Cost Retirement Savers Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars Over Their Careers

Retirement savers will need to work several years longer to make up the difference or make do with less in old age

CFA published research highlighting the high fees many small company retirement plans and their participants pay. The costs of these plans can vary considerably and the investing outcomes for retirement savers that result from these differences can be staggering over time. The fees in a significant number of small company retirement plans are so high that they eliminate the tax benefit associated with investing in a tax deferred plan. Based on the limited data that is available, it is likely that hundreds of thousands of plans and millions of retirement savers are likely affected by high fees in their retirement plans.