Retirement

This report explores the factors that are associated with the financial well-being of older Americans. It looks at the association of financial well-being and a range of topics including employment and retirement; housing situation; debt; family and living arrangement; health-related experience; and financial knowledge, skill, and behavior. The findings indicate that, in general, financial well-being increases with age into the late seventies, then declines.

Age Wave conducted nine recent study reports in collaboration with Bank of America Merrill Lynch on the future of retirement. These reports were created by reviewing thousands of papers, reports, and datasets, conducting over 140 expert interviews and 43 focus groups, and surveying 50,000+ respondents. The nine reports cover a variety of topics regarding retirement, including family, health, leisure, and finances. All nine reports are followed by sample media coverage.

This issue brief that looks at the difference in financial outcomes for workers who received Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) and those who did not receive DI before claiming Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance (OASI) benefits (often referred to as Social Security retirement benefits).

The White House released the final report from the White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA). President Barack Obama hosted the sixth WHCOA on July 13, 2015. Prior to the conference, events were hosted all over the United States to allow stakeholders to provide their input. The final report summarizes the work done both at the WHCOA and during the pre-conference activities and feedback elicited throughout the process.