• August 31, 2021
This report finds that economic inequality continues to grow, with Blacks and Hispanics owning only a sliver of financial assets. Even though the Gen X and Millennial generations are more diverse, whites continue to dominate when it comes to accumulating financial assets. This economic inequality ultimately translates into financial insecurity in retirement, which is exacerbated […]
• May 9, 2021
Hybrid retirement plans for state and local employees are not new, but these plan designs have received increased attention in recent years as some jurisdictions have sought to modify workforce retirement benefits. A hybrid is not one particular plan design, but instead is an umbrella term capturing a wide range of different plan designs. Some […]
• February 10, 2021
A new report finds that across party lines, Americans are worried about their financial security in retirement. The vast majority of Democrats (70 percent), Independents (70 percent) and Republicans (62 percent) agree that the nation faces a retirement crisis. There also is bi-partisan agreement that the average worker cannot save enough on their own to […]
• December 3, 2020
Economic gains attributable to defined benefit (DB) pensions in the U.S. are substantial. Retiree spending of pension benefits in 2018 generated $1.3 trillion in total economic output, supporting nearly seven million jobs across the nation. Pension spending also added nearly $192 billion to government coffers at the federal, state and local levels. Pensionomics 2021: Measuring […]
• December 2, 2020
This report examines several innovative and often lesser-known pension funding strategies that have been utilized in the public sector to address legacy pension costs and to create more stable costs over time. It comes as the recession sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened many state and local government budgets, and as concerns mount that […]
• October 8, 2020
With healthcare and long-term care costs rising at much higher rates than wages or salaries, it is becoming more difficult for Americans to afford the costs of long- term care. These unpredictable costs, combined with low levels of savings, mean many older American families find themselves forced to spend down their assets so they are […]
• September 4, 2020
The burden of preparing for retirement is increasing as workers face more risk and rising costs. Escalating housing, healthcare, and long-term care costs in retirement are creating retirement obstacles for Americans. Also, the shift from pensions to 401(k) plans has pushed more retirement risk onto workers. These findings will be detailed in a new study, […]
• April 29, 2020
While most Americans are struggling to save for retirement, women face even higher hurdles, largely stemming from the gender pay gap that eventually becomes a retirement wealth gap. Older women receive about 80 percent of the retirement income older men receive, a disparity that mirrors the gender pay gap. Still Shortchanged: An Update on Women’s […]
• January 8, 2020
A new report finds that a large portion (40 percent) of older Americans rely only on Social Security income in retirement while only a small percentage of older Americans (seven percent) receive income from Social Security, a defined benefit pension, and a defined contribution account. Retirement income from these three sources is widely considered to […]