How junk IRAs are destroying the American dream

PensionBee

October 23, 2025

|

10 minutes

Updated on:

March 16, 2026

Top-line statistics

Safe Harbor IRAs were designed to be “safe". New research from PensionBee and the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) provides numerical clarity into the issue.

As the U.S. workforce becomes increasingly mobile, millions of small retirement accounts are being left behind with former employers. Most will become long-term traps that can drain retirement savings through excessive fees and minimal returns.

35%

of people know accounts can be forced out into a Safe Harbor IRA without their consent

75%

of automatic rollovers linger in placeholder accounts for over three years

Analysis

The problem

Millions of employees leave behind small balance retirement accounts when they switch jobs. Employers and plan sponsors are left to pick up the slack. For over two decades, automatic rollovers into Safe Harbor IRAs have offered a compliant off-ramp: a safe and temporary home for small balances.

In reality, most sit for years in cash-heavy products with fees that can erode savings.

Automatic rollovers are growing — and accounts are staying there

Each year, more accounts are automatically rolled over. Each year, very few accounts leave Safe Harbor IRAs.

• 87% of Safe Harbor IRA accounts remain after one year.
• 75% remain after three years.
• 2.2 million automatic rollovers are expected by 2030, which is double the 1.1 million in 2022.

The result: By 2030, an estimated 13 million former employees are expected to hold $43 billion of retirement assets automatically rolled into Safe Harbors.

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The compounding cost

Safe Harbor IRAs were not intended for growth, but too many retirement accounts are unknowingly caught in them anyway. A typical worker with just a handful of Safe Harbor accounts may retire with $90k less than peers who kept their savings in standard retirement plans. Based on PensionBee consumer insights:

An invisible threat

Millions of Americans leave 401(k)s behind each year. Nearly 2 million are expected to be automatically forced out of their plans this year.  Not knowing doesn’t prevent loss.

What employees can do today

  • Know the risks of leaving behind an account, no matter how small.
  • Stay up-to-date on where all accounts are and keep contact information current.
  • Consider consolidating your accounts by proactively selecting an IRA home, and track down left-behind accounts before fees erode them.

What employers can do today

  • Regularly review partnerships with automatic rollover providers, both to protect former employees and mitigate fiduciary liability under ERISA.
  • Prioritize communication during off-boarding and ensure employees know their retirement options.

Image Disclaimer

Investing involves risk. This image visually represents the data compiled from the associated research and is provided solely for informational and educational purposes.

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