The Social Security "full retirement age" (FRA) is the age at which retirement income benefits are available without reduction for early commencement. Presently, that age is 67 for those born in 1960 or later. This paper is about the unfair and unnecessary threat to reduce Social Security...

In this report, we consider policies to help people appropriately manage their defined contribution (DC) pension wealth through later life. We draw on evidence in a report published alongside this one (Boileau, Cribb and Emmerson, 2025), which sets out key information on the landscape in which...

This report is one of two reports on the management of pension wealth in retirement conducted as part of the Pensions Review, led by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in partnership with the abrdn Financial Fairness Trust. In this report, we examine the decisions that older individuals face as...

The new German federal government coalition is planning a significant tax break for workers of retirement age: the active pension (Aktivrente). With the active pension, workers who have reached the statutory retirement age may earn up to 2,000 euros a month tax-free, a move that the government...

We study how public pensions impact lifecycle labor supply decisions. Our analysis centers on pension eligibility rules in Ecuador. We first use administrative data to document and unpack retirement spikes at eligibility ages. Next, we use survey data and regression discontinuity to investigate...

Because of demographic and fiscal challenges, supplementary pensions are becoming increasingly important to ensure adequate retirement income for EU citizens. In this context, the EU has set minimum requirements for supplementary pensions provided by institutions for occupational retirement...

As the baby boomer generation enters retirement, the payas-you-go pension system in Germany is under an increasing amount of pressure. Relevant changes, in particular higher contribution rates or lower pension levels, are causing tension between generations: Either the financial burden on the...

This paper investigates the role of non-contributory pension schemes in alleviating poverty among the elderly in the European Union. Non-contributory pensions, which are not linked to previous earnings or contributions, are a key element of public pension systems aimed at reducing poverty in old...

This paper examines how offering sustainable investment options influences sustainable consumption behavior. We combine a natural experiment in which individuals receive an option to switch to a pension plan with a strong sustainability profile with detailed household register data. This...

We examine the causal effect of education on financial outcomes related to stock markets and retirement savings, leveraging a major compulsory school reform and a unique data set covering the universe of investors in Türkiye. The estimates show no effects on participation rates, portfolio...

Little is known about the extent and drivers of information flow within couples and whether spouses hold aligned expectations about the same outcomes. To provide new evidence, we conduct an online survey of 2,200 middle-aged married couples in the U.S. Our focus is on expectations about Social...

This paper establishes a theoretical link between actuarial neutrality and the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition to empirically assess vertical equity in public defined-benefit schemes. We demonstrate how this approach can be generalized to non-linear functions, point systems, and notional accounts....

Using two data sets (a Prudential Financial Wellness Survey and the Health and Retirement Study), this study demonstrates that although there is generally a natural upward trend for older (age 50+) Americans to progressively delay their expected retirement age, this trend has no statistically...

This study addressed the research question of how overspending is related to retirement preparation. A commonsense answer to this question is this: overspending should negatively impact retirement preparation. However, the existing body of knowledge does not provide evidence to support or deny...

This paper examines how individuals respond financially to severe health shocks by analyzing early withdrawals from retirement savings following the initiation of cancer treatment (chemotherapy). Using comprehensive administrative data from Australia that link health, tax, and demographic...

Andorra has the highest life expectancy and the lowest fertility rate in Europe, resulting in one of the fastest-aging populations on the continent. This study assesses the long-term fiscal implications of demographic change for Andorra's pension and healthcare systems. Without reform, public...