Retirement Savings Plans

How Retirement Plans Can Fix Contribution Mistakes

Type: Publication

Employers sometimes make mistakes when they put money into a 401(k), profit sharing plan or other defined contribution plan. If they correct the mistake by making a contribution to the plan, the contribution is called a QNEC or Qualified Non-Elective Employer Contribution.

Here are some examples of a QNEC (pronounced cue-neck).

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How Much Is Saved in 401(k)s

Type: Publication

Increasingly, retirement savings plans have become the way American workers accumulate the money they will need to supplement their Social Security payments in retirement. The most common retirement savings plan is the 401(k). 401(k)s are offered by employers, but it is typically up to the employee to decide whether to participate and how much to contribute. Many employers also contribute, but are usually not required to do so.

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Companies That Have Changed or Temporarily Suspended Their 401(k) Matching Contributions

Type: Publication

Below is a list of employers that have announced plans to reduce or suspend matching contributions to their employees' 401(k) and other defined contribution plan accounts since June 2008. For details on each company's decision, click the employer's name to see the company's press release or news story announcing the change.

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A New Type of Savings Plan: The Roth 401(k)

Type: Publication

What is the Roth 401(k)?

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A Look at 401(k) Plan Fees

Type: Publication

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Mutual Fund Fees and Expenses

Type: Publication

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Looking for help with your retirement plan?

If you have a problem with your retirement plan, free help may be available from the U.S. Administration on Aging's network of Pension Counseling and Information Projects. Find help now.

Share your story

What's your story?

We're hearing from people around the country who are worried about cuts to their pensions. These are their stories.

PensionHelp America connects people who need help with their pension, 401(k), and other retirement plans with the pension counseling projects, legal services providers, and government agencies that can help answer their questions. Visit www.pensionhelp.org.

From Our Blog

Congress considers provisions that would limit when retirement plans can recover overpayments

In my last blog post, I talked about how often we hear from people who cannot locate their retirement plans, and how Congress is taking steps to address this issue.

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Roadmap to retirement

Let our roadmap to helpful information about retirement plans for private-sector workers put you on the path toward a secure retirement. Get started.

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In the News

‘I’ll be robbed twice in one lifetime’: Retirees fearing financial disaster wait for pension rescue

For Carol Podesta-Smallen, the pain of a broken promise grows worse with time.

The Garfield, N.J., retiree framed her first pension check, along with a picture of herself and her husband. “That was our retirement,” she says, referring to the monthly benefit she earned after 26 years as a clerical worker.

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Did You Know?

A lump-sum distribution is a method of paying benefits from a pension plan in which a participant's entire beenfit is paid out in a one-time payment. Lump sum distributions are sometimes called cash outs.