Our Research Findings

At T. Rowe Price, we're on a mission to enable and encourage individuals to reach their retirement goals - with confidence. We invest in retirement plan and participant behavior research for one very important reason: It helps us identify insights and trends that we can use to create products and services that drive outcomes.

Our Latest Findings

See how we transform research into action for our plan sponsor and advisor clients.

401 (k) Plan Participants Report More Confidence

401(k) Plan Participants Report More Confidence

Retirement plan participants are more confident about their financial futures than those who don’t participate, regardless of income or assets. A 2019 T. Rowe Price research study found that people who participate in a 401(k) plan are 16% more likely to be confident about their retirement than those who don’t participate (even though they are eligible) or don’t have access.
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Helping Millennial Women Close the Retirement Savings Gap

Retaining Retirees in Plans: A New Trend

A 2018 study by T. Rowe Price found that nearly 40% of plan sponsors are encouraging participants to stay in their defined contribution (DC) plans after retirement. Learn more about this emerging trend and its potential impact.
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Planning for Unexpected Health Care Costs in Retirement

While the majority of retirees won’t experience a shock, everyone needs to plan for it.
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Living in Retirement

New research from T. Rowe Price finds that retirees who were (or currently are) participants in 401(k) plans are generally confident and optimistic about their futures.
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The DC System

Retirees’ Experience Exceeds Expectations - What is a successful retirement? Our research shows that retired workers are faring better than current workers expect to fare (Figure 1), and better than what they had expected themselves.
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Healthcare Cost in Retirement

A NEW WAY TO CALCULATE HEALTH CARE COSTS IN RETIREMENT. A recent survey from T. Rowe Price found that retirees list health care as their top spending concern. That's not surprising given some studies' six-figure predictions on costs. However, we believe that there's a more effective - and less intimidating - way to calculate and plan for future retiree health care expenses.
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Advice Revisited

The 401(k) recordkeeper increasingly is playing a central role in a participant's financial life. With more participants than ever seeking help and advice in financial decisions from their 401(k) plan's provider, the recordkeeper is becoming the go-to source for tools and support - not just for retirement planning, but for all the participant's financial decisions.
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Value of 401k

Does a successful 401(k) plan influence a company's profitability? It's a question T. Rowe Price wanted to answer. What we found was intriguing. The result: Significant correlations exist.
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Focus on Generation X

Analysis of Gen X participants reveals important considerations for plan sponsors and advisors.
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Financial Priorities and Advice

Our annual participant survey, Retirement Savings and Spending, examines the attitudes and behaviors of 401(k) plan participants to provide insights for plan sponsors and their advisors.
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Plan Sponsor Study

Human resources and benefits professionals can face a great number of challenges in creating a strong retirement program. In HR Perspectives: A Survey of Larger 401(k) Plans, we take a look at these challenges and help sponsors assess how well their plans are helping participants prepare for retirement.
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The Silent 170K

Nearly 170,000 participants in plans at T. Rowe Price contributed $50 or less in 2016. Data showed that this "Silent 170K" engaged far less than their peers. How do we gain their attention and get them to act?
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Reevaluating Millennials

Working millennials who are saving in a 401(k) plan are challenging stereotypes and outpacing expectations, according to this study.
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Assessing New Retirees

How are new retirees managing in retirement? Our research suggests that they're faring quite well. In fact, many 401(k) participants are transitioning with considerable assets and high satisfaction.
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Helping Millennial Women Close the Retirement Savings Gap

The wage gap and lifetime income gap between men and women presents many challenges for those preparing for retirement. Recent research from T. Rowe Price finds that while there is slight progress among women saving for retirement, the gap between men's and women's retirement savings persists; a likely follow-through resulting from lower lifetime earnings.
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401(k) Plan Participants Report More Confidence

Retirement plan participants are more confident about their financial futures than those who don’t participate, regardless of income or assets. A 2019 T. Rowe Price research study found that people who participate in a 401(k) plan are 16% more likely to be confident about their retirement than those who don’t participate (even though they are eligible) or don’t have access.
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Useful Tools and Resources

Reference Point
Benchmark your plan with our yearly report.

FiduciarySource
Stay up to date on your fiduciary obligations with our package of resources.

Contact your T. Rowe Price representative to find out how we can take your plan to the next level.