Summary
Employees are increasingly responsible for their retirement security. As a retirement savings vehicle, defined contribution (DC) plans continue to flourish despite recent volatility in the financial market. As DC plans become more prevalent, both the interest in and importance of understanding individual pension asset allocations continue to grow. Using data on TIAA-CREF premium-paying participants, this report describes how individuals with 403(b) DC retirement plans have managed their portfolios in the volatile market from 2000 to 2004. This article updates the data and analysis presented in Research Dialogue no. 65 (PDF)(Ameriks, 2000) and examines how TIAA-CREF participant asset allocations have changed since the stock market peaked in 2000.
