Are 401(k)s unfair? You make the call

I came across a recent post from former EBN contributor Richard Quinn, who posited an interesting question on his blog: Are 401(k) plans unfair? Or, more specifically the tax laws surrounding them.

Quinn leans on several sources, including the Center for American Progess, the Bipartisan Policy Center and stats from the Social Security Administration to lay out both sides of the debate as to whether 401(k) plans are unfairly skewed to benefit wealthier workers.

Personally, I say taxes schmaxes. I seriously doubt changing the tax laws surrounding 401(k)s, which most workers neither understand nor care about, will encourage them to save more for retirement. Quite honestly, I’m not sure anything will.

Delayed gratification isn’t something we do well in this country. Until we learn the valuable lesson Mick and Co. tried to teach us decades ago, "You can’t always get what you want [at least not right away]," no tax law tinkering will do us any good.

But maybe you have a different view. Check out Quinn’s post, then share your thoughts in the comments.