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Resources & Reports
The Retirement Income Deficit
The $6.6 trillion Retirement Income Deficit is the gap between the pensions and retirement savings that American households ages 32-64 have today and what they should have today to maintain their living standards in retirement. Learn more.
Issue Papers
The Pension Rights Center has prepared five papers for Retirement USA on issues that will need to be addressed in developing proposals that meet the Retirement USA principles. The papers address the topics of:
Universality – Security – Adequacy – Design – Administration
The Conference Report: Toward a Universal, Secure, and Adequate Retirement System
At its Re-Envisioning Retirement Security conference on Wednesday, October 21, 2009, Retirement USA released a Conference Report, which details the need for a universal, secure, and adequate retirement system that supplements Social Security for future retirees.
Read the full text of the Conference Report [PDF].
The Working Paper
At a press conference on Tuesday, March 10, 2009, Retirement USA released a Working Paper that details shortcomings of the nation's current retirement system, outlines the principles upon which any new system should be based, and examines alternative retirement schemes in other countries. This paper is a work in progress and will be released in final form at an event in the fall of 2009.
Read the full text of the Working Paper [PDF].
See the links below for additional resources on retirement security in the United States.
- The Promise and Peril of a Model 401(k) Plan by Rowland Davis, Nayla Kazzi, and David Madland, Center for American Progress, April 2010
- Retirement Savings Behavior and Expectations of African Americans: 1998 and 2009 by Wilhelmina A. Leigh, Ph.D. and Anna L. Wheatley, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, January 2010
- African American Perspectives on the Social Security System: 1998 and 2009 by Wilhelmina A. Leigh, Ph.D. and Anna L. Wheatley, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, January 2010
- The 2008-2009 Economic Downturns: Perspectives of African Americans by Wilhelmina A. Leigh, Ph.D. and Anna L. Wheatley, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, January 2010
- Is Pension Inequality Growing? by Nadia Karamcheva and Geoffrey Sanzenbacher, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, January 2010
- Current Economic Status of Older Adults in the United States By Kimberly Johnson, M.S. and Kathy Wilson, PhD.National, National Council on Aging, January 2010
- Insecure Retirements: Latino Participation in 401(k) Plans By Leticia Miranda, National Council of La Raza, December 9, 2009
- Retirement Security and the Stock Market Crash: What Are the Possible Outcomes? By Barbara A. Butrica, Karen E. Smith, and Eric J. Toder, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, November 2009
Share Your Story
Retirement USA is collecting personal stories about people’s fears and concerns for retirement. Washington isn’t paying attention to the retirement concerns of workers and retirees, so we need to speak out. The stories will help show lawmakers the reality of the retirement income crisis.
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