American elders saw sharp gains in their incomes and declines in poverty during the 1960s and 70s and have had smaller gains since. Updated poverty measures show that seniors are as likely as children to be poor. When Social Security and pensions are converted to asset values, a typical...

This fact sheet explains how the children and grandchildren of today's retirees would bear the brunt of the benefit cuts currently being proposed by some policymakers and commentators. It outlines how raising the retirement age means lowering benefits at any age they are claimed, which many...

Declining home values, lost savings, and corporate pressures to cut pension costs are undermining retirement security for seniors. At the same time, job losses, pay cuts, and mortgage foreclosures are jeopardizing workers' dreams of a secure retirement. The recent stock market collapse has...

Life annuities are products sold by insurance companies to protect retirees against the risk of outliving their money. A life annuity is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase with lifelong consequences. Requiring retirees to buy life annuities with their individual accounts has advantages and...

The 2014 Trustees Report updates projections about the future finances of Social Security's two trust funds. The Disability Insurance (DI) trust fund, which is legally separate from the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) trust fund, will require legislative action soon to ensure that all...

This brief is one component of a toolkit of materials designed to educate workers approaching retirement about their options for taking Social Security benefits, and about why - if you can - it pays to wait. The brief is available for download here. The rest of the toolkit - a 3-minute video, a...