Retirement Assets Fall to $17.1T in 1Q08

Total retirement assets in the U.S. fell 5.2% during the first quarter of 2008, from $18.0 trillion to $17.1 trillion, according to the Investment Company Institute.

During that period, equities returned -9.4% and bonds returned 2.6%, according to the Standard & Poor’s 500-Stock Index and the Citigroup Broad Investment Grade Bond Index.

Individual Retirement Accounts held more than $4.5 trillion of those assets, and 401(k) and other employer-sponsored defined contribution plans held another $4.3 trillion.

Mutual funds managed 47% of IRA assets and 50% of DC assets in the first quarter.

Assets in lifecycle funds reached $185 billion, nearly 90% of which is held in retirement accounts.

For more detailed information, read the ICI report “The U.S. Retirement Market, First Quarter 2008.”