Most people don’t plan for the risk of living “too long” and the cost it imposes on their retirement. Wharton’s Olivia S. Mitchell explains in this interview how improving longevity literacy could transform financial decision-making and prevent retirement regret.…Read More
Older Americans are carrying more debt into retirement, raising concerns about long-term retirement security as living costs continue to climb. Wharton’s Olivia S. Mitchell explains that longer life expectancies and persistent inflation are making it harder for many retirees to maintain their financial footing. Read her insights here.…Read More
What if annuities were marketed less as investments, and more as insurance against outliving your savings? New research from a team including Wharton’s Olivia S. Mitchell argues that consumption-focused framing could change how people approach retirement income planning. Read more about the working paper and its implications here.…Read More
Hosted by Olivia S. Mitchell and Nikolai Roussanov, Wharton’s Pension Research Council held its annual Spring Symposium in May of 2026, bringing together leading academics, Industry experts, and policymakers to explore the rise of public debt and how it shapes saving, investments, and retirement. Presentations covered the federal debt, social security, investment trends, and retirement wellbeing. …Read More
Dr. Sylvain Catherine, an Advisory Board member of Wharton’s Pension Research Council, explains why traditional measures of U.S. wealth inequality are incomplete when they exclude Social Security benefits. Read his Q&A with Knowledge at Wharton to learn more.…Read More
Join WIPN Philadelphia on June 10 for an evening with Dr. Olivia Mitchell! In this fireside chat, hear from Prof. Mitchell, who has shaped national conversations around retirement security for decades. …Read More
How closely are health and retirement linked? New research by Professors Slavov and Chung finds that health shocks experienced by an individual or their partner often lead to earlier-than-planned retirement, while retirement itself can bring modest health improvements when not driven by illness. Their findings emphasize the importance of incorporating health risks and trajectories into retirement planning and policy design.…Read More
Many Americans may not realize that “Trump Accounts” still lack key details despite promises of a financial head start for kids. Critics warn they could deepen inequality and offer limited benefits to lower-income families. Wharton economist Olivia S. Mitchell stresses that narrow investment rules and access barriers may limit their impact on long-term financial security.…Read More
How risky are health care costs in retirement? Dr. Banerjee finds that while most retirees face manageable, predictable expenses, a small share experience severe financial shocks, especially from long-term care. His research highlights that these risks are highly concentrated and tend to arise late in life, underscoring the need for better planning and stronger policy solutions around long-term care.…Read More
Can aging societies still grow? Dr. Park and Dr. Shin argue that they can, thanks to the “silver dividend” created by healthier older workers staying economically active. However, their research finds that the main drag on growth comes not from labor shortages but from weaker productivity gains, emphasizing the need for policies that foster innovation and efficiency in an aging world.…Read More
