May 2019

Will the Financial Fragility of Retirees Increase?

By Steven A. Sass Retirees have long been considered financially fragile. The notion that they are ill-equipped to absorb financial shocks is captured in the traditional trope that they live on fixed incomes. Going forward, retirees will get much less income from fixed Social Security and employer pensions, and much more from savings in 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). These savings give retirees greater flexibility to respond to shocks. But tapping into their nest eggs comes at...

February 2019

Household Savings in Central Eastern and Southeastern Europe: How Do Poorer Households Save?

By Elisabeth Beckmann (Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB)) Based on a survey of households in 10 Central Eastern European and Western Balkan countries, this paper presents new and unique evidence on which households have savings and how they save. The paper shows that the percentage of savers is low, and savings are frequently informal. Formal savings are dominated by bank savings, and participation in contractual and capital market savings is very low in comparison to high-income countries. Poor households are significantly less...

July 2018

UK. Rush to cash-in small pensions will leave thousands below ‘acceptable’ retirement income, warns Just Group

Cashing in small pension pots early to rely on State benefits in retirement could leave many thousands of people struggling to achieve an acceptable income in later life, suggests new analysis by Just Group. The warning comes following the publication of Minimum Income Standards (MIS) by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) reflecting the public’s views on how much weekly income is needed to achieve a minimum acceptable standard of living in the UK today. The JRF’s 2018 report suggest the MIS...