Ep 43: Professor Teresa Ghilarducci on the Future of 401(k)s

Adam Ruins Everything

As humans, our inclination is to live in the present - not save 40 years down the line - which makes saving money for retirement hard. In the 90s many companies began offering 401(k) programs, a retirement savings plan sponsored by an employer which lets workers save and invest a piece of their paycheck before taxes. It seemed like the perfect solution to our retirement woes. But 401(k)s aren't the full proof saving plan we once thought. Even judiciously setting aside money in a 401(k) might not be enough to maintain one's lifestyle into retirement. There are also so many outside factors that can still diminish one's savings, including unexpected healthcare costs, recessions, or lost jobs. So how do we set ourselves up for a secure financial future? Our guest Professor Teresa Ghilarducci, who appeared on Adam Ruins the Future, is going to tell us how we entered into this financial mess and how we can get out of it. She suggests we do the best we can to save through 401(k)s, live within our means, start planning our financial future as young as we can, delay collecting social security as much as we can, and vote for representatives who can help reform this system. Teresa is a labor economist and nationally-recognized expert in retirement security. She's also a professor of economics at The New School for Social Research. Adam is on Twitter @AdamConover and you can find past episodes and bonus content from the TruTV show at AdamRuinsEverything.com. Produced by Shara Morris for MaximumFun.org.