Podcasts

How Have Automation and Trade Affected the Taxable Share of Covered Earnings?

Gal Wettstein and Kimberly Blanton
January 14, 2019

Rising U.S. income inequality is pushing more high-income workers above Social Security’s payroll tax cap and shrinking the share of all workers’ earnings subject to this tax. Trade with China is driving up inequality, which is one part of the reason for the drop in the taxable share of earnings.

Center for Retirement Research
How Have Automation and Trade Affected the Taxable Share of Covered Earnings?
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How Much Does Motherhood Cost Women in Social Security Benefits?

Alice Zulkarnain and Kimberly Blanton
November 5, 2018

When mothers take a hiatus from work for childrearing, it can affect their Social Security earnings history. Learn how much mothers lose when they drop out of the labor force to raise children.

Center for Retirement Research
How Much Does Motherhood Cost Women in Social Security Benefits?
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Cognitive Aging and the Ability to Work

Anek Belbase and Kimberly Blanton
October 19, 2017

Cognitive aging could hinder productivity by reducing the brain’s processing ability (“fluid” intelligence). But research shows that productivity generally does not decline with age. Only a minority of workers are vulnerable: those in jobs that require very high levels of fluid intelligence and those who experience cognitive impairment.

Center for Retirement Research
Cognitive Aging and the Ability to Work
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How Job Options Narrow for Older Workers by Socioeconomic Status

Matthew S. Rutledge and Kimberly Blanton
March 27, 2017

Job-changers over age 50 increasingly end up in “old-person” jobs, with a high share of older hires relative to prime-age hires. New research finds the overall outlook has improved since the late 1990s for all groups, particularly for older women with more education.

Center for Retirement Research
How Job Options Narrow for Older Workers by Socioeconomic Status
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Does a Uniform Retirement Age Make Sense?

Geoffrey T. Sanzenbacher and Kimberly Blanton
October 4, 2016

Working longer can boost retirement security. To what extent does this prescription fit for all workers? New research explores how life expectancy differs by education level and the implications for longer worklives.

Center for Retirement Research
Does a Uniform Retirement Age Make Sense?
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Original music by Zack Lober.