The U.K.ís Ambitious New Retirement Savings Initiative

The new system has three core elements:

Employers auto-enroll their workers at a 4-percent contribution rate, matched by the employer and government combined.

A new non-profit provides the infrastructure to keep costs low.

The plans’ target date funds start young workers with low-risk investments to avoid losses that could discourage saving.

The U.S.’s new “myRA” program includes two similar design features – low-risk investments and government infrastructure – but it lacks auto-enrollment.