ESOPs Held About 15% of Non-Governmental Retirement Asserts in 2007

A new report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Statistical Trends in Retirement Plans (click here for the report in PDF format) finds that ESOPs held about 15% of the total assets in non-government corporate retirement plans in 2007. ESOP participants constituted about the same percentage of participants in these plans. However, much of the money in 401(k) plans comes from employees themselves, while very little comes from employees in ESOPs. Moreover, most ESOP companies have a second or even third retirement plan. The data, in short, are another indicator that working for an ESOP company is, in general, very good for your retirement prospects.