Description: This article addresses studies which came to different conclusions regarding whether 401k plans are financially advantageous. Also presented is a paper, using more elaborate assumptions, which analyzes the effects of 401 k participation at various income levels.

Description: Planning for retirement in North America has become much more challenging as the defined benefit system has declined. We must take more responsibility for ourselves. As we plan, many societal forces affect us. Both men and women are disadvantaged because Americans in particular are not very good savers. While pension plans and Social Security, or CPP/QPP/OAS in Canada, generally use the same formulas for men and women, often the results are different. This article focuses on the challenges women face in retirement.

Description: This essay focuses on elements of success in a system linked to employment.

Description: This paper identifies and discusses 10 ways in which Americans lack a realistic understanding of retirement saving.

Description: This survey was conducted by the Society of Actuaries to uncover how the continuing rise in healthcare costs is affecting consumers’ retirement planning, particularly for pre-retirees ages 50-64. This fact sheet presents key findings.

Description: This document is intended for reporters and editors seeking information and thought leaders on how to clarify the complexities of retirement planning and the associated risks for the individual consumer. It provides tips and a summary of considerations and risks involved with transitioning into retirement, and includes bios for expert actuaries specializing in retirement, who are available for interviews or comment, and contact information for the Society.

Description: Understanding how life expectancy can impact retirement planning is an important aspect of preparing for a happy, healthy, and well-funded retirement. To provide information and insights on longevity, the SOA has launched its Age Wise series of infographics.

Description: List of Tables. From Retirement Implications of Demographic and Family Change Symposium Monograph, M-RS02-2.

Description: This paper employs a static-component projection methodology as a first step in a more complex research agenda focusing on developing detailed population projections in which mortality, disability, and disease are represented as linked phenomena with changes in any one impacting the other two. From Retirement Needs Framework, M-RS00-1.