Payments on Debts vs. 401(k)

Recent studies suggest an increasing tension between employees' payments on their personal debts and their contributions to 401(k) plans. One firm's survey revealed that payments on their debts by its employees were their top concern. Eleven percent of respondents to a survey of 1,000 plan participants by Strong Investments, Inc. said that they were not saving at all because of their personal debts. An additional 35 percent said that they were not saving enough for the same reason.