IRAs hold trillions more than 401(k) plans — yet people hardly save in them

Individual retirement account assets dwarf those of 401(k) plans.

IRAs held about $19.2 trillion at the end of 2025, while 401(k)s held $10.1 trillion, according to the Investment Company Institute, a trade group representing asset managers.

Yet, relatively few people contribute money directly to IRAs. And, their annual savings limits are much lower than those of 401(k)s.

Instead, IRAs are largely the repository of "rollovers" from workplace retirement plans, experts said. In other words, they capture money that originated in 401(k)s and similar plans but that investors subsequently moved at a legally specified point in time, such as when they changed jobs or retired.

Nearly 6 million people rolled money into an IRA in 2023, up from about 4 million in the early 2000s, according to the most recent IRS data.

Investors rolled $682 billion into IRAs in 2023 — more than triple the amount from the early aughts. By contrast, they made just $89 billion of direct IRA contributions in 2023.

"People by and large don't save money in IRAs at all," said David Blanchett, a certified financial planner and head of retirement research for Prudential Financial. "All the money in IRAs is coming

Fuente original: CNBC Top News (https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/28/ira-money-401k-rollovers.html)