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8/23/2013 - Study: Early retirees less likely to die (MarketWatch)

Male civil servants who retired early significantly decreased their probability of dying within the next five years, according to a recent Dutch study. Researchers at the Tinbergen Institute of VU University Amsterdam studied the effects of a one-time policy decision in 2005 that allowed certain civil servants to retire at age 55 with benefits, versus… Read more 8/23/2013 - Study: Early retirees less likely to die (MarketWatch)

8/20/2013 - Women Shortchanged in Retirement Earnings (NPR)

The American workforce is graying. And while many people aren’t saving enough for retirement, that’s especially true for women. Guest host Celeste Headlee speaks with reporter Paul Solman and aging specialist Helen Dennis, about a gender gap in retirement earnings. Listen to the full story and read a transcript at NPR.

8/19/2013 - The income annuity puzzle: Why don't more people use them? (Reuters)

Economists have long argued that there’s a perfect financial product for retirement: the humble immediate income annuity. It’s a straightforward proposition: Fork over a big chunk of cash to an insurance company, which starts sending a monthly check when you retire – or later. The cash keeps coming as long as you live. Read the… Read more 8/19/2013 - The income annuity puzzle: Why don't more people use them? (Reuters)

8/16/2013 - Are We Headed to Mandatory Retirement Savings Accounts? (ThinkAdvisor)

The U.S. retirement system of Social Security supplemented by private retirement savings is often thought to be in crisis,  because of questions about the solvency of the former and the adequacy of the latter. But the U.S. approach is not the only way — Australia and Chile, for example, have high mandatory contribution rates of… Read more 8/16/2013 - Are We Headed to Mandatory Retirement Savings Accounts? (ThinkAdvisor)

8/16/2013 - Many Americans are confused by 401(k) retirement plans (LA Times)

Americans rely heavily on 401(k)s to fund their hoped-for retirements, but many people find the plans bewildering and aren’t sure they’re making the right investment choices. That’s the upshot of a new survey by Charles Schwab Corp., which found that people know they need 401(k)s even if they aren’t always sure what to do with… Read more 8/16/2013 - Many Americans are confused by 401(k) retirement plans (LA Times)

8/16/2013 - One Dip Into a 401(k) Often Leads to Another (New York Times)

Some people can’t seem to stop at just one. After workers borrow money from their 401(k) retirement account, they may find that it becomes easier to come back for another loan — and perhaps even another. And yet another one after that. Read the full article at the New York Times.

8/12/2013 - Survey shows women are focusing on saving for retirement (The Salt Lake Tribune)

Women across all age bands feel that it’s more important to save for retirement than just about anything else, according to the Credit Union National Association’s Women’s Financial Survey. CUNA is a trade association serving 90 percent of America’s 7,200 state and federally chartered credit unions, which are not-for-profit cooperatives. Of the age bands surveyed,… Read more 8/12/2013 - Survey shows women are focusing on saving for retirement (The Salt Lake Tribune)

8/9/2013 - 401(k) Reform Movement Growing: Three Major Gamechangers (Forbes)

The movement to overhaul the faulty 401(k)-based retirement system is gaining some strange bedfellows. When the retirement group AARP issues a joint statement with the pro-business group U.S. Chamber of Commerce, I suppose we shouldn’t be alarmed. But we should pay real close attention to the message. The two groups called on an somnambulist Congress… Read more 8/9/2013 - 401(k) Reform Movement Growing: Three Major Gamechangers (Forbes)

8/12/2013 - Study: Pension Plan Participation Among Married Couples (U.S. Social Security Administration)

We present descriptive statistics on pension participation and types of pensions among married couples, using data from the 1996/2008 Panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation and Social Security administrative records. Previous research has focused on pension coverage by marital status, but has not examined couples as a unit. Because couples usually share… Read more 8/12/2013 - Study: Pension Plan Participation Among Married Couples (U.S. Social Security Administration)

8/9/2013 - U.S. Companies Thrive As Workers Fall Behind (New York Times)

American companies are more profitable than ever — and more profitable than we thought they were before the government revised the national income accounts last week. Wage earners are making less than we thought, in part because the government now thinks it was overestimating the amount of income not reported by taxpayers. Read the full… Read more 8/9/2013 - U.S. Companies Thrive As Workers Fall Behind (New York Times)