Purpose: As part of an ongoing effort to analyze the distributional implications of potential policy reforms to the U.S. Social Security system, we consider the widely discussed reform of earnings sharing. Such an approach has been viewed as a way to "update" Social Security's family benefits based on marital status and as a means to…

Purpose: This study compared the official poverty rate for adults aged 65 years and older with alternative measures that portray the true resources and needs of older adults. Design and Methods: The analysis used data from the 2004 Health and Retirement Study on income, assets, in-kind transfers, and out-of-pocket medical expenses. It also…

Purpose: To validate a survey research measure of subjective income, as measured by perceived income adequacy, in an international context. Design and Methods: The study population comprised persons aged 50 years and older in 12 countries from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (n = 28,939). Perceived difficulty in making ends…

Purpose: We examine the methodological and economic policy implications of three operationalizations of retirement migration. Design and Methods: We compared the traditional age-based definition of retirement migration and two retirement-based definitions, based on degree of labor-force participation and retirement income, by using the 2000 U.S.…

Empirical evidence of tax shelter usage is sparse. These data add weight to earlier concerns about whether tax incentives to save for retirement benefit upper-income groups more than middle- and lower-income groups and present the importance of different sources of income in providing retirement funds for this group. (Author/RC)

Purpose: We compare the economic consequences of widowhood for preretirement age and early-retirement age Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White women. Methods: We use the 1992 and 2000 waves of the Health and Retirement Study to assess the effects of widowhood on the household incomes and assets of non-Hispanic White, Black, and Hispanic women…

Explores relationship between recent policy reforms, targeting proposals, and a universal Social Security program. Explores principles that inform Social Security, concluding that treating benefits as taxable income and raising retirement age push at boundaries of universality without violating fundamental precepts of social insurance program. (BF)

Current policies concerning income in old age are framed in terms of important Social Security and private pension developments. Criticisms of the "new Social Security" are viewed in the context of major problems associated with the options, especially private pensions. (Author)

Examined extent and patterns of financial planning among a range of professionals. Found that respondents (N=457) placed their primary emphasis on pensions (including Social Security) and continued work-related income, although four types of pre-retirement financial planning were identified. The most consistent predictor of the extent of planning…

Examines responsiveness of the nominal income of older persons to price changes and compares changes in their real income to trends in real income of other groups. Data from the Retirement History Study show the elderlys' income sources were not fixed in nominal terms, but increased as prices rose. (NRB)

Examined transfer of income from state to state as result of elderly migration. Data from 1980 census microdata files revealed that billions of dollars are transferred between states each year. Used 1980-81 Consumer Expenditure Interview Survey to estimate consumption patterns of typical migrant household. Findings are discussed in context of…

Explored the propensity to save among community elderly by examining their anticipated use of hypothetical $10 and $25 weekly income increments. Savings were associated with income inadequacy and security concerns; and among the more affluent, with concerns about health and financial security. (Author/ABB)

Examines the risk of poverty among a sample of elderly couples and widows interviewed over a 10-year period. When individual movements into and out of poverty over time are identified, the risk of becoming poor is more than double the highest annual risk among couples, and is raised by almost 30 percent for widows. (Author/ABB)

Recent policy proposals have introduced need-based criteria, as well as the principle of wealthier older persons paying greater taxes or sharing more heavily in financing services and benefits than those who have less income and accumulated wealth. This article reviews emergence of new approaches and concludes with commentary on political…