Which Retirement Plan Is Managed By An Individual's Employer? 
There are several qualified defined benefit and contribution retirement plans that are employer sponsored . The most popular is a 401 -LRB- k -RRB- defined contribution plan under ERISA , Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 . The pretax contributions accumulate tax deferred and some employers match a portion of the employee 's contribution , further enhancing the overall benefit . 