Helping Employees Save for Retirement: What is the Responsibility of Christian Higher-Education Institutions?

Abstract

A great deal of evidence suggests that most people have not made adequate provision for retirement. This paper examines the responsibility of Christian higher-education institutions that have elected to provide retirement benefits as part of their employees’ overall compensation. It also analyzes the current state of retirement provision at over one hundred Christian higher-education institutions. Institutions who offer retirement benefits should design robust policies that encourage participation, a strategy that could be advantageous to both employees and institutions. While significant plan enhancements have been made, Christian higher-education institutions appear reluctant to implement automatic enrollment and escalation features in their retirement plans.