We deliver high quality retirement research that contributes to informed policymaking by fostering a deep understanding of the value of retirement security to employees, employers and the economy.
Accessing Long-Term Care Coverage Through Medicaid: The Safety Net For Seniors Facing Unmanageable Costs
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 […]
The Growing Burden of Retirement: Rising Costs and More Risk Increase Uncertainty
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, […]
Still Shortchanged: An Update on Women’s Retirement Preparedness
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 […]
Fortifying Main Street: The Economic Benefit of Public Pension Dollars in Small Towns and Rural America
As many small towns and rural communities across America face shrinking populations and slowing economic growth, a new report finds that one positive economic contributor to these areas is the flow of benefit dollars from public pension plans. In 2018, public pension benefit dollars represented between one and three percent of gross domestic product (GDP) […]
Millennial State & Local Government Employee Views on Their Jobs, Compensation & Retirement
A new issue brief finds that Millennials working in state and local government are satisfied with their jobs and intend to stay with their employers so long as their benefits are not cut. Millennial State & Local Government Employee Views on Their Jobs, Compensation & Retirement provides a deeper analysis of NIRS’ November 2019 opinion […]
Examining the Nest Egg: The Sources of Retirement Income for Older Americans
A new report finds that a large portion (40 percent) of older Americans receives Social Security income in retirement, but does not receive income from either a defined benefit pension or a 401(k) plan. Only a small percentage of older Americans (seven percent) receives income from Social Security, a defined benefit pension, and a defined […]
State and Local Employees Views on Their Jobs, Pay and Benefits
At a time when state and local governments are struggling to attract and retain employees to deliver vital taxpayer services, a new national poll finds that retirement and healthcare benefits are critically important job features, more so than salary. These benefits are viewed as a powerful recruitment and retention tool, with nearly all state and […]
Financial Asset Inequality and Its Implications for Retirement Security
A new research brief finds that financial asset inequality among Americans continues to increase, and the inequality is consistent across generations. This wealth inequality, combined with dangerously low retirement savings among most households, poses a significant threat to retirement for working Americans. The new analysis indicates that from 2004 to 2016, the share of financial […]
Enduring Challenges: Examining the Experiences of States that Closed Pension Plans
A series of case studies finds that states that shifted new employees from defined benefit pensions to defined contribution or cash balance plans experienced increased costs for taxpayers, without major improvements in funding. The research also indicates that the move away from pensions cuts employees’ retirement security and that employers may face increasing challenges […]
Retirement Insecurity 2019: Americans’ Views of the Retirement Crisis
New public opinion research finds that Americans are united in their concern about retirement. In overwhelming numbers, Americans say the nation faces a retirement crisis, with Democrats at 80 percent, Republicans at 75 percent, and Independents at 75 percent. These findings are contained in a new research, Retirement Insecurity 2019: Americans’ Views of the Retirement […]
Pensionomics 2018: Measuring the Economic Impact of Defined Benefit Pension Expenditures
Economic gains attributable to defined benefit (DB) pensions in the U.S. are substantial. Retiree spending of pension benefits in 2016 generated $1.2 trillion in total economic output, supporting some 7.5 million jobs across the U.S. Pension spending also added a total of $202.6 billion to government coffers, as taxes were paid at federal, state and […]
Teacher Pensions vs. 401(k)s in Six States: Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri and Texas
This report finds that teacher pension plans play a critical role in retaining educators while also providing greater retirement security than 401(k)-style retirement accounts. Eight out of ten educators serving in the six states studied can expect to collect pension benefits that are greater in value than what they could receive under an idealized […]
Pensionomics 2018: Measuring the Economic Impact of Multiemployer DB Pension Expenditures
This study analyzes data on specific private sector pension plans (referred to as “multiemployer plans”) to assess the overall national economic impact of benefits paid by these plans to retirees. We estimate the employment, output, value added, and tax impacts of pension benefit expenditures from multiemployer plans at the national level, and find that the […]
Latinos’ Retirement Insecurity in the United States
This report finds that inequalities in access and eligibility to employer-sponsored retirement plans are contributing to persistent retirement savings gaps for Latinos. As a result, Latinos are falling even further behind in preparing for retirement. Only 31 percent of all working age Latinos participate in workplace retirement plans, resulting in a median retirement account balance […]
Retirement in America | Out of Reach for Most Americans?
Retirement in America | Out of Reach for Most Americans finds that the retirement savings levels of working age Americans remain deeply inadequate despite economic recovery. An analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data reveals that the median retirement account balance among all working individuals is $0.00. The data also indicate that 57 percent (more than 100 million) of working age individuals […]
