How Gloomy is the Retirement Outlook for Millennials?

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Penn collection
Wharton Pension Research Council Working Papers
Degree type
Discipline
Subject
retirement
labor force participation
living standards
financial security
Economics
Funder
Grant number
License
Copyright date
Distributor
Related resources
Author
Johnson, Richard W.
Smith, Karen E.
Contributor
Abstract

Social, economic, demographic, and public policy shifts have made Millennial retirement security a pressing concern. Many recent trends threaten financial security for future generations of retirees. Male labor force participation pre-age 55 has slumped, men’s median earnings have stagnated, marriage and homeownership rates are falling, debt levels remain high, and out-of-pocket spending on medical and long-term services and supports are rising. Other trends are more encouraging, such as women’s higher earnings, the rise in labor force participation at older ages, and improvements in educational attainment. We use a dynamic microsimulation model to project how various forces might play out over the next 30 years to shape the retirement security of US residents born in the 1980s. Our projections show that median age-70 income will be higher for Millennials than previous generations, but this cohort faces a higher risk of seeing falling living standards in retirement.

Advisor
Date Range for Data Collection (Start Date)
Date Range for Data Collection (End Date)
Digital Object Identifier
Series name and number
Publication date
2022-08-01
Volume number
Issue number
Publisher
Publisher DOI
Journal Issue
Comments
Recommended citation
Collection