401(k) plans

" Studies have been conducted to better understand the fees 401(k) plan sponsors and their participants pay. However, these studies focus on larger plans. Thus, uncertainty remains about the amounts paid by small and medium-sized plans and the level of knowledge and expertise these sponsors have to assess the fees charged by service providers. GAO addressed the following related to small, medium-sized, and large plans: (1) amounts plan sponsors and participants pay for services, (2) challenges sponsors face in understanding how fees are charged, and (3) actions Labor has taken to help sponsors better understand and monitor the fees charged by service providers. GAO reviewed relevant federal laws, regulations, and retirement research, and interviewed federal officials and industry experts. GAO also conducted a survey of 1,000 401(k) plans to collect information about fees paid for plan services. The response rate allowed GAO to generalize to the population of 401(k) plans for most of the survey questions. The survey instrument and most results can be viewed at GAO-12-550SP. "