How Closely Do Spouses Coordinate Thier Retirement Decisions?

This brief focuses on trends over the past two decades in employer- sponsored pension coverage. It explores who is covered by a pension plan and who is not, how much retirees receive in pension income, and how pension coverage and receipt have changed over time. This brief updates our previous work on this topic.

How Did Older Workers Fare in 2009?

Presents findings on 2009 unemployment and labor participation rates, length of unemployment, and earnings for workers age 55 and older, compared with past trends and with younger workers. Analyzes data by gender, race/ethnicity, education, and industry

How Do Disabilities Affect Future Retirement Benefits?

One-quarter of workers ages 51 to 55 develop work disabilities before age 62. Disabilities often force people to curtail their work hours, derailing retirement preparations. However, protections built into Social Security, including disability and spouse benefits and the system's tilt toward workers with low lifetime earnings, cushion the impact of midlife health problems. After other factors are controlled for, the onset of health-related work limitations between ages 51 and 61 reduces Social Security retirement benefits at ages 63 to 67 by only about 2 percent, much less than the impact on other retirement savings

Will Health Care Costs Bankrupt Aging Boomers?

Using the Urban Institute's dynamic microsimulation model, projects 2010-40 income, out-of-pocket medical expenses, and insurance premiums for Americans age 65 and older, excluding long-term care costs, assuming no changes in healthcare costs or policy

Unemployment Rate Soars for Older Men With Limited Education

Examines the unemployment rate of adults age fifty-five and older by gender, industry, education level, and race/ethnicity. Highlights rising rates among older men in construction and manufacturing, those with limited education, and Latino/Hispanic men

Age Disparities in Unemployment and Reemployment During the Great Recession and Recovery

Analyzes patterns in the percentage of workers unemployed at any point between May 2008 and March 2011, number of months they were unemployed, wage losses at reemployment, and likelihood of workers leaving the labor force by age group

A Proposal to Finance Long-Term Care Services through Medicare with an Income Tax Surcharge

Proposes expanding Medicare to cover comprehensive long-term care services, including home care and custodial nursing home care, and financing this expansion of benefits with a surcharge on federal income taxes

How Much Might Automatic IRAs Improve Retirement Security for Low- and Moderate-Wage Workers?

Estimates the extent to which requiring employers with no retirement plan to set up individual retirement accounts and automatically deposit a portion of pay would improve low- and moderate-wage workers' retirement security. Outlines policy implications

A Profile of Frail Older Americans and Their Caregivers

Provides a profile of older Americans and their caregivers, focusing on people age 65 and older who are not in nursing homes, and those with severe disabilities. Includes policy implications and recommendations for community-based home care options

Employer-Sponsored Pensions: A Primer

The shifting pension landscape raises questions about the financial security of future retirees. About one-half of private-sector workers are not covered by employer-sponsored pension plans on their current job. Many private-sector employers have replaced traditional pensions with 401(k)-type plans, which protect benefits for workers who change jobs frequently but expose participants to investment risks. This primer describes pensions, workers with coverage, and related policy issues