Lack of access to retirement plans in the workplace, as well as inequitable eligibility requirements, are creating a persistent retirement savings gap for Latinos.
That's according to the report "Latinos' Retirement Insecurity in the United States" from the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS) and UnidosUS.
Those two problems are making Latinos fall ever farther behind as they try to save for retirement, and the report adds that just 31% of all working-age Latinos participate in workplace retirement plans, resulting in a median retirement account balance equal to $0. However, when given the opportunity to participate in plans, they are slightly more likely than other races and ethnicities to participate.
Latinos' current retirement plan participation rate is 30.9%, compared with 53% for white workers. In addition, working Latinos who are saving have an average retirement account balance less than a third that of the average for white workers. In fact, overall, less than 1% percent of Latinos have retirement accounts equal to or greater than their annual income.
