Of the 93.3 million U.S. mutual fund shareholders, 31% invest in mutual funds only through their employer-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans, according to data just released by the Investment Company Institute. The data also show that 38% only invest in funds outside of their defined contribution plans, and 31% invest in mutual funds both in and out of their retirement plans.
According to the ICI data, collected in May 2001, 52% of all American households own mutual funds. Nearly all investors — 97% — considered themselves long-term investors, and 72% said their main goal in investing in mutual funds was to retire. More than half of all mutual fund shareholders, or 57%, made their first fund purchases through defined contribution retirement plans.