America is in the middle of a retirement crisis. Seventy percent of retirees are worried they don’t have enough money and wish they’d started saving earlier. Even worse, 30% are considering going back to work, because their savings could soon run out. At a time like this, both current and future retirees are counting on their investments paying off.
In August, President Trump issued an executive order that helps savers by expanding Americans’ access to private markets through their 401(k)s, making an asset class that’s long been used by public pension funds and wealthy families more easily available to everyday investors if they so choose. If you were to rely solely on media coverage in recent weeks, however, you’d be left with the impression that expanding options for families and workers is a net negative. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
A new report from my organization, the American Investment Council, found that over the long term, private equity as an asset class continually and consistently outperforms the broader stock market and other popular investment categories. This is exactly why investors should be offered the option to invest in private markets. It’s also why, beyond wealthy investors, public servants – including millions of teachers, police officers, and firefighters – have long relied on these investments to keep their pension plans fully funded.
