When it comes to retirement, the only color that will really matter is green

This year, the annual Black Investor Survey by Ariel Investments and Charles Schwab didn't get much attention.

When the market is at historic lows, it's hard to get publicity for wagging your finger at African-Americans for not investing in retirement plans. It was a challenge to get blacks to invest before the market went crazy, and it's probably harder now with just about everybody seeing substantial losses.

Stock ownership among blacks fluctuated from a low of 57 percent last year to a high of 74 percent in 2002, according to the survey. Over the same period, whites' stock ownership hovered around 80 percent. But there's a good note in the investor survey: About 90 percent of blacks and whites who are working have access to a defined-contribution plan such as a 401(k). Of those with such a plan, about 90 percent of both groups contribute regularly.

So blacks have listened. They are participating. The next challenge is to get them to put in more money.

African-Americans save far less each month and have considerably smaller portfolio balances. The median monthly amount that blacks contribute to their 401(k) plans is $169, while whites contribute about 50 percent more, or $249. As a result, the median total household savings for retirement reported by black respondents is $53,000, compared with $114,000 for whites.

Overall, there's been an increase in all workers contributing to workplace retirement plans. The number participating in an employment-based retirement plan increased to 41.5 percent in 2007, up from 39.7 percent a year earlier, according to the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute. It was the biggest gain in participation since 1998. Still, the racial differences are bothersome.

In the EBRI report, Hispanic wage and salary workers were significantly less likely than both white and black workers to participate in a retirement plan. For those employed by the smallest of businesses (fewer than 10 employees), 19 percent of white wage and salary workers participated in a retirement plan, compared with 7 percent of Hispanic workers. At companies with 1,000 or more employees, the participation was 62 percent for whites, 44 percent for Hispanics. Native-born Hispanic workers displayed participation levels near those of black and white workers.

Minority workers are getting the message that they should participate, especially since many employers match some of the money workers contribute.

So, even though the market is loopy right now, if you put in enough to at least get the company match, you're already ahead. Let's say you earn $30,000 a year and you contribute 6 percent of your salary, or $1,800. That's $150 a month pretax. If your employer matches that 6 percent, you're handed $900.

When it comes to retirement, the only color that really matters is green.

Michelle Singletary is a columnist for The Washington Post.