Total U.S. Retirement Assets Fell In The First Quarter of 2025

Total U.S. retirement assets held by investors fell between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the end of the first quarter of 2025, for the first time since 2022.

Retirement assets currently account for 34% of all household financial assets in the U.S. They totaled $43.4 trillion at the end of March, down 1.6% from December, according to data from the Investment Company Institute released earlier this month.

Between quarters, holdings for individual retirement accounts (IRAs), defined contribution (DC) plans (including 401(k) plans), private sector and government defined benefit (DB) plans, and annuity reserves all declined. 

Defined contribution plans posted the biggest slide, dropping 1.9% from quarter to quarter.