Top 1% of plans hold more than 71% of all 401(k) assets

“This concentration of assets among such a small pool of plans gives large employers an outsize influence on the retirement market,” said Eric Ryles, managing director of Judy Diamond Associates. “Our research showed that fewer than two-tenths of one percent of 401(k) plan sponsors are responsible for fully half of our nation’s 401(k) retirement plan assets. That’s only 630 very large companies controlling $1.75 trillion in assets.”

So what does this mean for the market? According to JDA, the “staggering concentration” of responsibility for the nation’s 401(k) retirement assets means that any shifts in investments for a small number of plans could have an impact on every aspect of the market.