Managing Retirement Decisions

Research Projects – Pension

The Committee on Post Retirement Needs and Risks completed a landmark effort examining the major decisions encountered in retirement. Drawing upon the expertise of prominent retirement professionals, the result is a thought-provoking series of issue briefs written in everyday language. The briefs tackle a variety of retirement decisions with practical considerations and advice.

• Lump Sum or Monthly Pension: Which to Take?– Factors to consider when deciding to take a lump sum distribution or a monthly pension for life.
  
• Big Question: When Should I Retire?– Key questions to consider, examples showing financial benefits of delaying retirement.
• When Retirement Comes Too Soon– Dealing with plans turned upside down by unplanned early retirement.
• Women Take the Wheel: Destination Retirement– Special issues faced by women in retirement.
• Deciding When to Claim Social Security– When to claim Social Security and the impacts.
• Designing a Monthly Paycheck for Retirement– Replacing a regular paycheck and related options.
• Treating Asset Allocation Like a Road map– Tradeoffs, risks in choosing investment asset classes.
• Securing Health Insurance for the Retirement Journey– Pre- and post-age 65 retiree insurance choices.
• Taking the Long-Term Care Journey– Answers to questions about whether to buy insurance.
• Where to Live in Retirement– Housing issues and special elderly housing needs.
• Estate Planning: Preparing for End of Life– Estate planning considerations and key issues.
• Finding Trustworthy Financial Advice for Retirement and Avoiding Pitfalls– Avoid the pitfalls of seeking financial advice.

The Committee on Post-Retirement Needs and Risks would like to acknowledge and thank its members who worked on producing this series.

If you have any questions or comments regarding these briefs, please contact Steve Siegel, Research Actuary at ssiegel@soa.org.