This paper provides a longitudinal view, spanning 10 to 12 years, of persons first accepting retired worker benefits at ages 62 or 63 in 1994 or 1996. Using HRS data, matched to Social Security administrative files, we present: 1) findings of variation in income, wealth, health insurance...

This article focuses on age-62 retired-worker beneficiaries, a group whose well-being may be affected by changes in Social Security retirement ages. The analysis: 1) develops different measures of risk of a poor retirement; 2) applies these measures to developing a range of estimates of the risk...

Initially enacted in 1967, the Social Security disabled widow(er)s benefit provides permanently reduced cash benefits equal to 71 1/2 percent of the deceased spouse's primary insurance amount (PIA) to approximately 195,000 disabled widows and 5,000 widowers ages 50 through 64. Among the most...