The purpose of the study was to explore retirement planning, challenges, and counseling among teachers of public schools in the Sekondi Circuit in the Western Region, Ghana. A sample of 50 teachers was selected through convenience sampling. Only teachers who expressed interest in participating in the study were sampled. The main instrument for…

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…

After a long decline, the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of older men in the United States leveled off in the 1980s, and began to increase in the late 1990s. We examine how changes in Social Security rules affected these trends. We attribute only a small portion of the decline from the 1960s-80s to the increasing generosity of Social…

Analysis and discussion of Social Security policy are usually based on expected fiscal and societal outcomes. However, future demographic and economic trends are uncertain, and thus ultimate outcomes for aggregate system financial flows and the distribution of taxes and benefits across generations are uncertain. This paper analyzes a…

The labor supply and benefit claiming incentives provided by the early retirement rules of the Social Security Old Age benefits program are of growing importance as the Normal Retirement Age (NRA) increases to 67, the labor force participation of Older Americans rises, and a variety of reforms to the Social Security system are considered. Any…

In this paper the authors examine how the structures of earnings, Social Security, and pension benefits affect retirement behavior. They use an intertemporal model of labor supply, paying special attention to the institutional features of private pensions and Social Security benefits. (Author/SSH)

Work attachment of men aged 58-63 fell dramatically from 1969-89, with a sharp reduction at age 62 that is probably due to Social Security's early retirement provision. Nonpension income and the interaction between private pensions, personal assets, and Social Security may also play a large role. (SK)

Recent studies of retirement have recognized the importance of pension plans and social security on the retirement decisions. A pension system that is neutral with respect to the timing of benefits encourages or discourages the acceptance of these benefits and subsequent job separation at any particular age only to the extent that any asset…

This document contains 4 charts and 15 tables describing the pension coverage of workers and the income of retirees in the United States as of 1984. Data were gathered through the fourth wave topical module to the 1984 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation, conducted from September through December of 1984. The prevalence of…

The average retirement age for men shifted from 70 in 1950 to 65 in 1970 to 62 in 1985. Whether the trend toward early retirement has ended depends on interpretation of changes in the last 2 decades, including elimination of mandatory retirement, modifications in social security and pension plans, and increased longevity. (Contains 18 references.)…

This document presents witness testimonies and prepared statements from the Congressional hearing called to examine the removal of the mandatory retirement age by taking the cap off of employees in the private sector through the passage of H.R. 4154. Opening statements are included from Congressmen Pepper and Martinez. Arthur Flemming, the…

The author argues that the nation cannot afford its habit of promoting early retirement. He calls for public policy and employer incentives to encourage longer work lives. (CH)

Projected implications of population aging are based on a definition of retirement age as 65. This article discusses the concept of "equivalent retirement ages" as a method for determining appropriate age for normal retirement and points out usefulness and limitations of raising normal retirement age as a policy instrument. (BF)

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)