This article examines how savings in defined contribution (DC) retirement plans vary across the earnings distribution. Specifically, the authors investigate the extent of an earnings gradient in access to, participation in, and levels of contribution to DC plans. Using a nationally...

Pension trends in the United States, marked by the movement toward defined contribution (DC) plans, raise questions about the individual characteristics that influence retirement saving behavior. This study examines how DC participants' industry and employer characteristics relate to the...

Long-term increases in life expectancy have varied for individuals with different lifetime earnings levels. This article examines two hypothetical adjustments to Social Security Old Age and Survivors Insurance benefits that would offset the differential changes in projected life expectancy. The...

This article explores the effects of the timing of retirement on subjective physical and emotional health. Using panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we test 4 theory-based hypotheses about these effects — that retirements maximize health when they happen earlier, later,...

Few studies have focused on within-group differences in the well-being of veterans in later life. We use data from the 1995 and 2015 Current Population Surveys to examine the retirement and socioeconomic characteristics of veterans aged 55 or older. We explore indicators of family structure,...

This article explores the relationship between the timing of retirement and subjective well-being change following that transition. Using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we test four theory-based hypotheses about this relationship – that retirements maximize...

Objective: This article explores the effects of the timing of retirement on subjective physical and emotional health. Using panel data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we test four theory-based hypotheses about these effects — that retirements maximize health when they happen...