The brief’s key findings are: The COVID recession brought the economy to a halt, but households got robust government support and asset markets soared during 2020-2021. Overall, balance sheets showed some improvements during this period: high-wealth households saw rapid asset growth from the booming markets; and those in the middle got market gains and a boost from…
The retirement plan coverage gap, which undermines the financial security of millions of U.S. workers, is driven by the lack of plans among small employers. Despite various efforts by policymakers across several decades to develop affordable and simple plans, many small businesses still overestimate the cost and administrative burden required to offer a plan, perceiving…
Economics 101 teaches that it is a bad idea to design taxes that distort behavior. Yet the “No Tax on Overtime” provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) – which is in effect from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2028 – could cause behavior to change in two ways…
One of the most fortunate events of my life was my first job after college at the Center for Retirement...
The increase in Medicare Part B premiums has sparked concerns about out-of-pocket healthcare costs. The 10-percent increase in Medicare Part...
FEATURED
CLOSING THE COVERAGE GAP
By Andrew G. Biggs, Alicia H. Munnell and Anqi Chen
The brief’s key findings are: 401(k)s/IRAs have the potential to provide significant wealth. But a typical 60-year-old with a 401(k) in 2016 had less than $100,000 compared to a potential $360,000 in combined 401(k)/IRA assets. Four factors could explain this gap: the immaturity of the 401(k) system, the lack of universal coverage, leakages, and fees…
Associate Director of State & Local Research
Associate Director of Retirement Plans and Finance Jean-Pierre Aubry is associate director of retirement plans and finance at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. He oversees and conducts research and data collection, develops new analytic techniques for evaluating retirement plans, and secures funding support. Aubry is recognized as a leading expert on stat…
By Kim Blanton
With so many Americans in the dark about how to prepare for retirement, educating them about why it’s critical to save seems an obvious way to tackle this problem. But very few solid studies prove that financial education actually works. This field research should be counted as a positive result for a modest, low-cost financia…
The next Retirement and Disability Research Consortium Meeting will be held virtually on August 3-4, 2023. This free and public event showcases the latest in retirement and disability research from the nation’s top scholars.
CRR IN THE NEWS
THE NEW YORK TIMES
People return to work for many reasons, but the biggest is financial need. As costs remain high, more retirees could be looking to re-enter the job market.
USA TODAY
Social Security is hurtling toward a fiscal cliff. The retirement trust fund faces a shortfall as soon as 2032.