RetireSecure Blog

The Pension Research Council’s curated blog features insights from the industry’s leading professionals. Views of our Guest Bloggers are theirs alone, and not of the Pension Research Council, the Wharton School, or the University of Pennsylvania.

Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Gaps in Retirement Knowledge among Older Adults: What Do We Know?

Differential access to employer-provided retirement plans is a key indicator of racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in retirement preparedness, find researchers Luisa Blanco of Pepperdine University and Ron Hays of UCLA Department of Medicine, via RetireSecure blog. Read More

Saving and Attitudes toward the Future

Attitudes toward the future shape household wealth accumulation, as well as kids’ saving and non-financial choices, report researchers John Knowles of Simon Fraser University and Andrew Postlewaite of the University of Pennsylvania, via the RetireSecure Blog.Read More

What’s Happening with Higher Education Benefits?

Benefits for faculty have gradually increased over time with the most dramatic growth being in healthcare coverage, explains Robert Toutkoushian of the Louise McBee Institute at the University of Georgia, via RetireSecure blog. Read More

Mortality Postponement and Compression at Older Ages in Human Cohorts

Mortality is projected to fall dramatically in the coming decades so most people should expect longer lifespans, according to Professor David McCarthy of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. To retire securely, people must save more and work to stay healthier, he explains in RetireSecure Blog. Read More

The Future of Retirement

Workplace changes, economic shifts, technological advances, evolving family dynamics, and the aging population are among the megatrends reshaping work, retirement, and financial security, explains Anna Rappaport of the Society of Actuaries, via the RetireSecure blog. Read More

Pessimism about Survival Can Help Explain Why So Many Don’t Buy Annuities

People believing they will live longer are more likely to buy annuities, so educating near-retirees about chances of surviving to older ages could help motivate annuitization, report researchers Karolos Arapakis and Gal Wettstein of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Read More

Identifying the Retirement Plan Features Most Sought by Employees

Competition for workers is high, and employers must attract and retain talent. Evaluating and improving retirement plan benefits to meet employees’ needs and desires is key in this highly competitive environment, reports Anna Rappaport via the RetireSecure blog.Read More

Household Investment in 529 College Savings Plans and Information Processing Frictions

Better 529 plan selection could boost earnings by 9% on assets intended for kids’ education, report Wharton School researchers James J. Li, Olivia S. Mitchell, and Christina Zhu, via Retire Secure Blog.Read More

Facilitating a Multigenerational Workforce

New OECD report proposes new HR policies to benefit and retain experienced workers, cutting employer costs and helping manage challenges of multigenerational workplaces, finds Boston College Professor Joseph F. Quinn. Via RetireSecure Blog. Read More

China’s Population Peak: Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Population changes in China leave more older people vulnerable, increasing the importance of research and policy initiatives to meet challenges, explains Professor John Piggott of the University of New South Wales, Australia. Via RetireSecure Blog. Read More

Pension Pooling and the Randomness of Age

Should chronological or biological (risk-adjusted) age drive retirement claiming? Longevity research suggests the latter, per Prof. Moshe A. Milevsky of York University, via RetireSecure blog. Read More

“Financial Less Is More:” An Experimental Study of Financial Communication

Pension participants make better decisions about their financial futures when they get digital plan statements, show researchers Abigail Hurwitz of the Hebrew University, Eval Lahav of The Open University of Israel, and Yevgeny Mugerman of Bar-Ilan University, via RetireSecure blog. Read More