re: #101 TedStriker

I’ll gladly bag on Trump when he’s wrong, which is most of the time, but he’s isn’t really wrong in that quote, just overly simplistic. Most people’s retirement accounts these days in the US are 401(k)s, with most of those holding shares in mutual funds, which, in turn, hold shares of individual companies.

from 2017 - it looks like about 32% have 401k plans

it’s surprising to learn that the average American does not, in fact, have a 401(k) — especially given the number of employees who have the option to participate in one.

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, only 32% of Americans are saving for retirement in a 401(k). Granted, that owes partly to the fact that 401(k)s are employer-dependent, and not every company offers one.

Data from the Census Bureau suggests that as little as 14% of all employers offer a 401(k), yet Census researchers recently estimated that 79% of Americans work for an employer that sponsors a 401(k)-style retirement plan. How is that possible? Large companies that employ high numbers of workers are the most likely to sponsor retirement plans.

All that said, not everyone who’s offered an employer-sponsored plan actually takes advantage of it. Of those 79% of Americans who get the choice to fund a 401(k), only 41% opt to participate. As such, just 32% of the total workforce is saving in a 401(k).

individual can invest ira money in mutual funds as well. i cant find any statistics on that

so it’s not everyone. and it’s not even half, likely