AARP: Policy and Research Information for Professionals in Aging

Search Policy & Research

Advanced Search

Email Newsletter

Get updates on Policy & Research by email.

Retirement

In Brief: Boomers at the Bottom: How Will Low-Income Boomers Cope with Retirement?  / Research Report
March 2008— Wealth accumulation, poverty levels, net worth, and income replacement rates at age 67 for low-income boomers are projected and compared with those of low-income retirees from other birth cohorts in this brief synopsis of a report written for the AARP Public Policy Institute by Barbara A. Butrica, Eric J. Toder, and Desmond J. Toohey of The Urban Institute. (2 pages) (Publication ID: INB158)

Boomers at the Bottom: How Will Low-Income Boomers Cope with Retirement?  / Research Report
March 2008— Wealth accumulation, poverty levels, net worth, and income replacement rates at age 67 for low-income boomers are projected and compared with those of low-income retirees from other birth cohorts in this AARP Public Policy Institute publication by Barbara A. Butrica, Eric J. Toder, and Desmond J. Toohey of The Urban Institute. (98 pages) (Publication ID: 2008-07)

The Employee Point of View: Opinions of Workers in North Carolina on Election Issues, Retirement, Caregiving, and Job Benefits  / Research Report
March 2008— The majority of working people in North Carolina believe that the country is on the wrong track, according to an October-November 2007 telephone survey of 800 workers age 30 and older. Over 75% said that financial security and health care issues are important to them in deciding whom to vote for in the 2008 election. (33 pages)

Who is Ready for Retirement, How Ready, and How Can We Know?  / Research Report
January 2008— Although at least half of baby boomers are on track to a comfortable retirement, substantial numbers are not. The gap between haves and have-nots is likely to be greater than in previous generations, according to this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Sophie Korczyk, which analyzes recent literature on retirement income adequacy with a focus on boomers. (43 pages) (Publication ID: 2008-01)

In Brief: Who is Ready for Retirement, How Ready, and How Can We Know?  / Research Report
January 2008— This short summary of the similarly titled AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Sophie Korczyk analyzes recent literature on retirement income adequacy, with a focus on boomers. Key findings reveal that, although at least half of baby boomers are on track to a comfortable retirement, substantial numbers are not. Furthermore, the gap between haves and have-nots is likely to be greater than in previous generations. (2 pages) (Publication ID: INB154)

In Brief: Employment at Older Ages and the Changing Nature of Work  / Research Report
November 2007— A succinct summary of the AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper entitled Employment at Older Ages and the Changing Nature of Work in which Richard Johnson, Gordon Mermin, and Matthew Resseger of the Urban Institute examine many of the job demands workers face today, how demands have changed over time, and what they might look like in the future. (2 pages) (Publication ID: INB151)

Employment at Older Ages and the Changing Nature of Work  / Research Report
November 2007— Jobs have become much less physically demanding but more cognitively challenging over the past 35 years. In this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper, Richard Johnson, Gordon Mermin, and Matthew Resseger of the Urban Institute examine many of the job demands workers face today, how demands have changed over time, and what they might look like in the future. (49 pages) (Publication ID: 2007-20)

Preparation for Retirement: The Haves and Have-Nots  / Research Report
November 2007— Working households that lack access to a retirement savings plan at work are less prepared for retirement than working households that participate in a 401(k) or 403(b) plan. These households are less likely to have given their retirement at least some thought (72% vs. 82%), saved for retirement (51% vs. 86%), or tried to calculate the amount of money they will need in retirement (38% vs. 49%). Over six in ten financial decision-makers in working households (66%) who lack access to a retirement savings plan at work would be very or somewhat likely to participate in a retirement savings plan like a 401(k) if their employer or their spouse's employer were to offer one. These are among the key findings of a survey conducted by Harris Interactive for AARP of respondents without defined benefit plans. (26 pages)

AARP Poll of Arkansans Age 40+ on Retirement and Investment: Summary of Top-line Findings  / Research Report
October 2007— Long-term financial security is critical to attaining what people want in retirement. This survey found that Arkansas residents age 40+ are not highly confident about preparing for retirement, and that while most respondents invest and own securities, they also indicate low levels of confidence in their personal knowledge of financial investing. (18 pages)

AARP Profit From Experience: Perspectives of Employers, Workers and Policymakers in the G7 Countries on the New Demographic Realities  / Research Report
September 2007— How prepared are the world’s leading economies to cope with the accelerating aging of their workforces? And what are they doing about it? This AARP study by Towers Perrin explores how governments, employers and employees are responding in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. (119 pages)

What Retirement? Working and Learning for AARP Members in Michigan  / Research Report
September 2007— What Michigan AARP members would like to do when they reach the traditional retirement age and what they think they will most likely do are explored in this 2007 mail survey of 3,000 age 50-64 members of whom 832 are currently working or looking for work. (21 pages)

Automatic IRAs: Worker Attitudes and Likelihood of Participation  / Research Report
August 2007— Do workers who would be affected by Automatic IRA legislation support the idea? Of 700 age 25+ employees responding to this 2007 Internet-based AARP survey, 71 percent favor the concept and 79 percent say they are likely to participate in an Individual Retirement Account through a regular payroll deduction. (15 pages)

AARP Statement on GAO “Retirement Decisions” Report  / News Release
July 2007— AARP Legislative Policy Director David Certner released the following statement on the GAO Report released today entitled “Retirement Decisions: Federal Policies Offer Mixed Signals about When to Retire.”

Divided We Fail Research Reports  / Research Report
June 2007— Reports of research conducted by or for AARP about or pertaining to the Divided We Fail campaign may be accessed directly via the links on this page.

Preparing for an Aging Workforce: A Focus on New York Businesses  / Research Report
May 2007— What New York employers are thinking and doing about aging workforce issues, including the extent of their efforts to recruit or retain older workers and protect organizational knowledge, are examined in this late 2006 AARP survey of 400 employers across the state. (22 pages)

Divided We Fail: Key Findings in Nevada  / Research Report
April 2007— Highlights of local perspectives and opinions from Nevada about health care costs and insurance, prescription drugs, retirement savings and other key issues addressed by AARP in the Divided We Fail campaign are capsulized in this state-level fact sheet. (2 pages)

Divided We Fail: Key Findings in South Carolina  / Research Report
April 2007— Highlights of local perspectives and concerns from South Carolina about health care costs and insurance, prescription drugs, retirement savings and other key issues addressed by AARP in the Divided We Fail campaign are capsulized in this state-level fact sheet. (2 pages)

Divided We Fail: Key Findings in Iowa  / Research Report
April 2007— Highlights of local perspectives and opinions from Iowa about gridlock in Washington, health care costs and insurance, prescription drugs, retirement savings and other key issues addressed by AARP in the Divided We Fail campaign are capsulized in this state-level fact sheet. (2 pages)

Looking Toward an Older Workforce: A Focus on New Mexico Employers  / Research Report
April 2007— While most employers in New Mexico are aware that they are likely to experience shortages of qualified workers in the next five years due to older employees retiring, this late 2006 AARP survey of businesses with three or more workers finds only 24 percent beginning to prepare for it. (39 pages)

AARP Segunda Juventud Hispanic Retirement Study: Financial Matters  / Research Report
March 2007— A 2007 AARP omnibus survey of Hispanics ages 40-74 explores issues related to retirement including which sources of income they feel fairly certain they can rely on in retirement, and how their saving for retirement compares with that of their parents’ generation. (10 pages)

International Research Conference on Social Security 2007  / Event
March 2007— Warsaw, Poland

What Older Workers Want: A Survey of AARP Members in New Mexico  / Research Report
February 2007— The current employment status of New Mexico AARP members, their plans about what to do about the retirement question, reasons for continuing to work or look for work, and experiences with potentially discriminatory acts are examined in this October 2006 telephone survey of 800 members between age 50 and 70. (26 pages)

Perceptions of an Aging Workforce Trend  / Research Report
February 2007— American businesses’ awareness of potential labor shortages due to baby boomers retiring with fewer younger workers following close behind – and what their organizations are doing to prepare – are examined in these November-December 2006 AARP surveys of 400 employers in each of several states.

Survey of AARP Nevada Members  / Research Report
February 2007— This mail survey was conducted by AARP to explore AARP Nevada members' personal concerns and the issues they view as top legislative priorities for AARP Nevada to work on with the State, as well as volunteerism, work or career and retirement plans, health care needs and expenditures, and utility/energy costs and services.

Preparing for an Aging Workforce: A Focus on Delaware Businesses  / Research Report
February 2007— While 62 percent of Delaware employers with at least 20 full-time employees are aware of the likelihood of experiencing shortages of qualified workers in the next five years due to older employees retiring, this late 2006 AARP telephone survey finds 26 percent consciously taking steps to prepare and only 12 percent offering incentives to encourage workers to stay. (24 pages)

Work and Well-Being Among the Self-Employed at Older Ages  / Research Report
February 2007— Patterns of self-employment at older ages, including the characteristics of older self-employed workers, the nature of their jobs, their transitions in and out of self-employment, and their wealth accumulation and portfolio diversification are addressed in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Julie Zissimopoulos and Lynn A. Karoly of RAND Corporation. (100 pages) (Publication ID: 2007-04)

The Behavioral Economics of Retirement Savings Behavior  / Research Report
January 2007— Using heuristics or rules of thumb can sometimes aid and sometimes bias the decisions that workers make in deciding to enroll in 401(k) plans, how much to save, and how to invest their assets, according to this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Richard Thaler of the University of Chicago and Shlomo Benartzi of UCLA. (33 pages) (Publication ID: 2007-02)

The State of 50+ America 2007  / Research Report
January 2007— AARP’s fourth annual “report card” on the quality of life of age 50+ Americans finds them somewhat better off now than a few years ago, but there is still much room for improvement. The report examines changes in various economic, health, social and lifestyle indicators over the most recent year, as well as multi-year periods. (60 pages) (Publication ID: D18779)

In Brief: Mandatory Employer Pensions in Ireland, Germany, and the United Kingdom  / Research Report
January 2007— A succinct summary of the similarly titled AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Sophie Korczyk revealing lessons about expanding U.S. pension coverage to be learned from Irish, German and U.K. experiences in operating their new mandatory (on employers) 401(k)-type pension plans and comparing the plans’ features with those of American 401(k)s. (1 page) (Publication ID: INB134)

Mandatory Employer Pensions in Ireland, Germany, and the United Kingdom  / Research Report
January 2007— Features of the new mandatory (on employers) 401(k)-type pension plans in Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom are compared with American 401(k) plans in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Sophie Korczyk. The study includes lessons to be learned from the three countries’ experiences that are applicable to expanding U.S. pension coverage. (30 pages) (Publication ID: 2007-03)

2006 Survey of AARP Wyoming Members  / Research Report
November 2006— Concerns about identity theft, work and retirement, telecommunications, and AARP’s role in these issues and their communities are explored in four reports of findings from a mail survey of 1,052 Wyoming AARP members during the summer of 2006.

Business Executives’ Attitudes Toward the Aging Workforce: Aware But Not Prepared?  / Research Report
October 2006— While most of the 1,055 business executives surveyed by AARP during July 2006 know that their companies may be – or already are – affected by the aging of the workforce, few say their organizations are preparing for boomer retirements while 59 percent believe their firms should be thinking about how to retain older workers. (28 pages)

Common Ground for America’s Future: The Opinions of AARP Members in Ohio About National Election Issues in 2006  / Research Report
September 2006— Assuring Social Security’s future, allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, financing individuals’ long-term care, and making health insurance coverage available are among the issues examined in this report of a June 2006 telephone survey of AARP members in Ohio’s Sixth Congressional District. (27 pages)

Alabama Survey of Employers' Practices for Managing An Aging Workforce  / Research Report
August 2006— Faced with the impending retirement of significant segments of the age 45+ labor force in every occupation, 95 percent of the 348 Alabama employers in this Summer 2006 AARP survey consider retaining skilled employees “very important,” but only 11 percent are taking any action to prepare to respond to losing skilled and experienced workers. (28 pages)

Social Security and 50+ Workers: A Survey of AARP Florida Members  / Research Report
August 2006— Why do nearly a third of AARP members in Florida continue working at a time when many of their peers are retired? This 2006 survey of 1,089 members finds that maintaining their health insurance, paying out-of-pocket health care costs, and needing income are the leading reasons. (26 pages)

Preparing for an Aging Workforce: A Focus on Massachusetts Businesses  / Research Report
August 2006— Despite demographic trends of an aging workforce, this July-August 2006 AARP telephone and Internet survey of 407 Massachusetts businesses in the Greater Boston area finds that many have not taken steps to prepare for a shortage of workers due to baby boomers retiring. (23 pages)

Common Ground for America’s Future: The Opinions of AARP Members in Tennessee About National Election Issues in 2006  / Research Report
July 2006— Assuring Social Security’s future, allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, financing individuals’ long-term care, and making health insurance coverage available are among the issues examined in this report of a June 2006 telephone survey of AARP members in Tennessee. (42 pages)

Phased Retirement: Who Opts for It and Toward What End?  / Research Report
January 2006— Which workers might opt for phased-retirement if opportunities were more widely available, when and under what circumstances they might do so, the factors that might be associated with taking phased retirement, and the consequences of their decisions for them and their families are explored in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Yung-Ping Chen and John C. Scott. (58 pages) (Publication ID: 2006-01)

In Brief: Phased Retirement: Who Opts for It and Toward What End?  / Research Report
January 2006— A succinct summary of the similarly titled AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Yung-Ping Chen and John C. Scott exploring which workers might opt for phased-retirement if opportunities were more widely available, when and under what circumstances they might do so, the factors that might be associated with taking phased retirement, and the consequences of the decisions for them and their families. (2 pages) (Publication ID: INB113)

Old Age Income Support in the 21st Century: An International Perspective on Pension Systems and Reform  / Event
April 2006— AARP Global Aging Program Idea Exchange with Robert Holzmann, Director of the Social Protection & Labor Department of the Human Development Network of the World Bank

Putting Aging Workforce on Employment Planning Radar: Results from an AARP Florida/Florida Trend Survey  / Research Report
October 2005— How are Florida businesses planning for an aging workforce and addressing older worker recruitment and retention concerns? This report presents results of a recent AARP survey of Florida business leaders that explores these issues. Few Florida employers, it turns out, are preparing for potential employee shortages as baby boomers approach retirement age. (4 pages)

Rethinking the Role of Older Workers: Promoting Older Worker Employment in Europe and Japan  / Research Report
October 2005— How is older-worker employment fostered in the European Union (EU) and Japan? This AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief by Sara E. Rix examines this question, providing data and commentary on the aging of populations, retirement trends, and the older worker, with particular focus on EU efforts to increase both the employment rate of older workers and the effective retirement age. (32 pages) (Publication ID: IB77)

Action Steps Outlined at the Conclusion of AARP’s International Summit on Retirement Security and Risk  / News Release
July 2005— Delegates from ten nations, who have spent the better part of two days evaluating the efforts by their countries to balance and minimize the risk in their retirement systems, were provided with four action items that are critical to meeting their objectives.

Presentation of International Retirement Security Survey Results  / Speech
July 2005— AARP CEO Bill Novelli presents results from the International Retirement Security Survey at the Reinventing Retirement: Balancing Risk international conference on July 19, 2005.

International Retirement Security Survey  / Research Report
July 2005— An AARP international survey on income security in retirement reveals public opinion in 10 developed nations: the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, and the Netherlands. The survey shows how residents aged 30-65 differ in their retirement expectations, preparations, and public policy priorities. It also reveals how concerns, expectations, and preferred policy solutions cross national boundaries and are similar across borders. An executive summary and a power point presentation of the detailed findings are available. (116 pages)

New AARP International Retirement Survey Reveals Tempered Personal Optimism, Scant Confidence in Government Ability to Deliver on Pension, Health Care Promises  / News Release
July 2005— A guarded optimism towards retirement security was expressed by some 4,000 respondents age 30 to 65 from ten developed nations in a new international public opinion survey released today by AARP's Global Aging Program.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 2004 Annual Report: An Agency Facing Financial Challenges  / Research Report
June 2005— Some 44 million workers and retirees in 31,000 private defined benefit pension plans count on the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to protect their pensions. In this AARP Public Policy Institute Fact Sheet, John Turner reviews the agency’s 2004 Annual Report and finds that the PBGC is facing the most significant financial challenges it has confronted in more than a decade. (2 pages) (Publication ID: FS117)

Attitudes of Individuals 50 and Older Toward Phased Retirement  / Research Report
March 2005— Reactions of 2,167 individuals age 50 and older to the concept of phased retirement and the extent to which phased retirement in general would motivate them to remain in the workforce beyond when they planned to retire are explored in this online survey conducted by AARP in January 2005. (28 pages)

Another Homeland Security: Strategies for Protecting Pensions  / Opinion
November 2004— AARP Global Report on Aging article by Ken Georgetti, President of the Canadian Labour Congress

This Is Not Your Father’s Retirement  / Opinion
November 2004— AARP Global Report on Aging article by Jan Njissen, Global Head Pensions and Chief Executive Office Insurance Central Europe of ING Group

Early Retirement: Disease of the European Continent?  / Publication
April 2006— AARP Global Report on Aging article by Annemie Van de CAsteele, President, COmmission on Social Affairs in the Belgian Senate

In Brief: Is Early Retirement Ending?  / Research Report
October 2004— A succinct summary of the AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper in which Sophie M. Korczyk of Analytical Services reviews recent trends in the labor force participation of – and Social Security benefit receipt by – older persons and examines policy options designed to encourage prolonged worklives and delayed receipt of Social Security benefits. (2 pages) (Publication ID: INB90)

Is Early Retirement Ending?  / Research Report
October 2004— Recent trends in the labor force participation of – and Social Security benefit receipt by – older persons are reviewed by Sophie M. Korczyk of Analytical Services in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper that examines policy options designed to encourage prolonged worklives and delayed receipt of Social Security benefits. (61 pages) (Publication ID: 2004-10)

How Will Boomers Fare at Retirement?  / Research Report
May 2004— While baby boomers will accumulate more wealth and more real income at retirement than did previous generations, this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Barbara Butrica and Cori Uccello of The Urban Institute predicts that late boomers will accumulate less wealth and receive no more income than early boomers. (91 pages) (Publication ID: 2004-05)

In Brief: How Will Boomers Fare at Retirement?  / Research Report
May 2004— A short summary of the AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper in which Barbara Butrica and Cori Uccello of The Urban Institute predict that baby boomers will accumulate more wealth and more real income at retirement than previous generations, but late boomers will accumulate less wealth and receive no more income than early boomers. (2 pages) (Publication ID: INB84)

Baby Boomers Envision Retirement II: Survey of Baby Boomers' Expectations for Retirement  / Research Report
May 2004— Baby boomers are far more likely now than 5 years ago to describe themselves as knowledgeable about and favorably disposed toward Social Security. This and other findings are discussed in an update to AARP’s 1998 benchmark study of baby boomers’ expectations of retirement. (133 pages)

Statement by AARP Director of Advocacy Michael Naylor on the EEOC Ruling on Retiree Health Benefits  / News Release
April 2004— AARP is deeply disappointed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) approval today of a rule that will allow employers to reduce or eliminate retiree health benefits that they offer to older, Medicare-eligible retirees.

AARP Among Underwriters for 14th Annual Retirement Confidence Survey  / News Release
April 2004— The 14th annual Retirement Confidence Survey found that only six in 10 workers and/or their spouses of all ages are currently saving for retirement.

Aging and Work -- A View from the United States  / Research Report
February 2004— Trends in the employment and retirement of older Americans over the past 50 years are explored by Sara Rix in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper which describes where and under what circumstances older persons are employed, speculates on what the future may hold for older workers, and identifies policies and programs that do – or could – encourage labor force attachment at later ages. (62 pages) (Publication ID: 2004-02)

Impact of the Social Security Retirement Earnings Test on 62-64-Year-Olds  / Research Report
December 2003— How would eliminating the Retirement Earnings Test for Social Security Benefits affect the total income of persons aged 62-64, both currently and in the future? In this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper, Caroline Ratcliffe, Jillian Berk, Kevin Perese, and Eric Toder of the Urban Institute address this question and its implications. (50 pages) (Publication ID: 2003-15)

Retirement Age and Social Security Reform: The Macroeconomic Effects of Working Longer  / Research Report
March 2003— How Social Security benefits, the trust funds, compensation, income and savings would be affected if the labor force participation rate of older persons were to rise is explored in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief by Satyenda Verma and Sara E. Rix. (13 pages) (Publication ID: IB59)

The Social Security Earnings Limit and Work and Retirement Incentives  / Research Report
November 2000— How Social Security earnings limits - or the elimination thereof - might influence some workers to work more hours and others to work fewer is explored in this Data Digest by Alison Shelton of AARP's Public Policy Institute. (4 pages) (Publication ID: DD54)

Increasing the Age of Eligibility for Social Security and Medicare: Projected Impacts on Medicare and Social Security Disability Insurance from 2000-2040  / Research Report
September 2000— If the Medicare eligibility age is raised to 67 or 70, what would be the effect on the size of the Medicare and Social Security Disability Insurance populations? And what would be the level of savings? In this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper, The Lewin Group uses a detailed methodological approach to making these projections. (85 pages) (Publication ID: 2000-15)

Social Security Reform: Rethinking Retirement-Age Policy--A Look At Raising Social Security’s Retirement Age  / Research Report
November 1999— This AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief by Sara E. Rix discusses the implications for workers and employers of raising the age of eligibility for full Social Security retired worker benefits, referred to as the "normal retirement age." (24 pages) (Publication ID: IB40)

The Impacts of an Increase in the Social Security Retirement Age and the Medicare Eligibility Age on Social Security Disability Insurance, Medicare, and Employment  / Research Report
August 1999— If the eligibility age for Medicare is raised to 67, how many people aged 65-66 would: retain benefits under Social Security Disability Insurance? retain Medicare eligibility? remain employed? Costs and savings associated with these changes are projected in this AARP Public Policy Insitute Issue Paper based on micro-simulation models. (104 pages) (Publication ID: 9911)

Baby Boomers Envision Their Retirement: An AARP Segmentation Analysis  / Research Report
February 1999— This study by Roper Starch Worldwide, Inc. for AARP, illustrates the diversity of Baby Boomers in terms of their attitudes, expectations and behaviors with respect to their retirement. (110 pages)

Factors Influencing Retirement: Their Implications for Raising Retirement Age  / Research Report
October 1998— Using data from the 1990 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the 1994 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, this AARP Public Policy Institute study by Cori E. Uccello of the Urban Institute sheds light on the impact on workers of a higher normal retirement age. (76 pages) (Publication ID: 9810)

The Changing Retirement Prospects of American Families: Impact of Labor Market Shifts on Economic Outcomes  / Research Report
January 1998— This AARP Public Policy Institute study by Stephen Crystal and Richard Johnson of Rutgers University, explores and compares the differences over time in the economic well-being of the early baby boom cohorts (born between 1944 and 1953) with the experiences of age cohorts born between 1923 and 1937. (42 pages) (Publication ID: 9801)

Press Center | Events | Policy & Research | NRTA | TV | Radio | States | AARP en Español

About AARP | Help | Contact AARP | Careers | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Advertise with AARP | Site Map

Copyright 1995–2008, AARP. All rights reserved.