This paper examines the trend in career earnings profiles and lifetime earnings inequality using a new data set that links micro-census information from a Census Bureau survey (the Survey of Income and Program Participation, or SIPP) with the summary earnings records (SER) maintained by the...

This paper examines the importance of annuity-like income as a share of total money income received by aged families. The analysis considers the aged (62) population as a whole as well as different parts of the aged families' income distribution during the period from the early 1980s through...

Recessions affect the timing of retirement through two channels, a weaker job market and losses in household wealth. The two phenomena have opposite effects. A weaker economy causes employers to increase permanent job separations and reduce new hires, accelerating retirements that would...