"The country-wide shift from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans is not resulting in less accumulation of retirement assets, according to a new paper from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. That conclusion directly contradicts the retirement think tank's long-standing thesis -- that the nation has become less prepared for retirement as more workers have been moved into 401(k) plans. The Center and its director, Alicia Munnell, have been producing data for years showing that the shift to 401(k) plans was resulting in less retirement savings. Munnell was the lead author of the most recent report."