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.

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

How the Older Workforce and Early Retirees Fared During the Covid-19 Pandemic Recession

The US safety net provided significant support to older Americans during the pandemic find Profs. Robert A. Moffitt of Johns Hopkins University and James P. Ziliak of the University of Kentucky via RetireSecure blog.Read More

Wealth Inequality and Retirement Preparedness: A Cross-Cohort Perspective

Wealth inequity by age is rising over time, making Social Security solvency especially important for cohorts with modest lifetime earnings and little wealth accumulation, report researchers John Sabelhaus of the Brookings Institute and Alice Henriques Volz of the Federal Reserve Board, via RetireSecure Blog.  [Study here.]Read More

High School Financial Education and Downstream Financial Behaviors: What Does the Research Say?

Requiring high school financial education affects near-term behaviors for young adults entering financial independence yet has little effect on long-term savings and investing, explain Profs. Carly Urban of Montana State University and Melody Harvey of University of Wisconsin-Madison, via RetireSecure Blog.Read More

What Does Longevity Awareness Do To Retirement Planning?

Understanding life expectancy and longevity risk improves retirement related decision making including how people save, invest, and decumulate assets to avoid running out of money in old age find Profs. Abigail Hurwitz and Orly Sade of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Olivia S. Mitchell of Wharton via RetireSecure blog. Read More

Americans’ Economic Security Improved Early in the Pandemic

Early pandemic stimulus increased financial stability for the economically vulnerable. However, causality, stability dissipation rates, and long-term pandemic effects remain important questions explain Marco Angrisani, Jeremy Burke, and Arie Kapteyn via RetireSecure blog. Read More