August 2026
14Aug

Saving for Old Age

By Asli Demirgüç-Kunt, Leora F. Klapper & Georgios A. Panos Countries around the world face a retirement crisis brought on by aging populations, declining birthrates, and fiscal shortfalls. As a result, policy makers increasingly seek to understand retirement savings patterns, a crucial component of the safety net for the elderly. Drawing on the 2014 Global Findex database, which provides individual-level data on the use of financial products in more than 140 countries, this paper examines how adults save for old...

August 14, 2026
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14Aug

Ordinary Americans struggle to fund their 401(k) plans while plutocrats fill theirs with tax-free millions

For a half-century, Congress has been offering middle- and working-class Americans options for tax-advantaged individual retirement savings, largely to compensate for the disappearance of traditional pensions. But the transition from so-called defined benefit pensions to defined contribution accounts such as 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts hasn’t worked for millions of Americans. Roughly 40% of working Americans don’t have any retirement savings at all, and among those who do, their savings are too meager to support them through their retirement...

August 14, 2026
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12Aug

European Commission approves non-binding guidelines for supplementary retirement savings

Set out in Recommendation (EU) 2025/2384, approved in November 2025 as part of the Savings and Investment Union initiative led by Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque, these measures aim to boost future retirement income. However, under Article 288 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, these recommendations are non-binding; the decision on whether and how to implement them at the national level rests entirely with each Member State. Free national service A key proposal from Brussels is the creation of...

August 12, 2026
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06Aug

China. Private pen­sion sys­tem seen in need of upgrade

How much sav­ings does a per­son in China need for retire­ment? A report released by Sun Life Fin­an­cial Inc, based on a quant­it­at­ive sur­vey of 3,201 respond­ents and more than 20 expert inter­views, found that 65 per­cent of respond­ents believe 1 mil­lion yuan ($148,200) is suf­fi­cient. However, the report estim­ates that a retiree spend­ing an aver­age of 5,000 yuan per month over a 30-year retire­ment would need at least 1.8 mil­lion yuan, assum­ing no infla­tion. Data released by the National...

August 6, 2026
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04Aug

US. Are Recession Fears Affecting Retirement Saving Approaches?

Are concerns about whether there will be a recession are arising among three quarters of non-retired investors affecting the approach some take to retirement saving and investing? A new study suggests that they are. In fact, the Nationwide Retirement Institute study found that more than three quarters (77%) of non-retired investors are concerned about a U.S. recession over the next 12 months. However, it also shows a shift from caution to action, as 1 in 3 (33%) non-retired investors say...

August 4, 2026
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July 2026
15Jul

UK. TISA calls for auto-enrolment contributions to rise to 12%

The Investing and Saving Alliance (TISA) has urged the Pensions Commission to set out a timetable for increasing minimum auto-enrolment pension contributions to 12%. The trade body warned that current contribution levels are unlikely to deliver adequate retirement incomes for millions of savers. In its response to the Commission’s interim report, TISA proposed phasing in the increase over six years while allowing flexibility for different incomes and circumstances. TISA also called for an auto-enrolment-style pension saving framework for the self-employed, greater use...

July 15, 2026
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10Jul

Retirement in America: an Analysis of Retirement Preparedness Among Working-Age Americans

By Joelle Saad-Lessler & Tyler Bond This research examines the retirement preparedness of working-age Americans. The research answers key questions relating to retirement savings, access to retirement plans, and how saving for retirement interacts with other financial commitments, such as repaying student loan debt and owning a home. It also offers a broad examination of how different groups of workers are faring in their preparation for retirement and a consideration of where workers are falling short. The report key findings are...

July 10, 2026
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10Jul

The China Imbalance Residual: A Demographic Decomposition

By Brian Peters The Chinese current-account surplus has averaged approximately 2 percent of GDP since 2015, declining from a 2007 peak near 10 percent yet remaining far above what its income level and demographic structure would predict in a global panel. We estimate this gap as the residual against the income-conditional demographic baseline fitted on 140 countries with China held out. The residual averages +5 to +12 percentage points of GDP across four sub-periods of 2000-2024, peaks at +14.3 pp...

July 10, 2026
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10Jul

Optimizing Retirement Financial Strategies: Integrating Annuities, Defined Contribution Plans, and Long-Term Care Costs

By Vanya Horneff, Raimond Maurer, Olivia S. Mitchell, Julius Odenbreit Nursing home costs in the United States now exceed $100,000 per year, and government assistance programs such as Medicaid help out only when retirees are largely destitute. Moreover, health shocks driving the need for such care can arise suddenly in old age, are frequently permanent in nature, and can be associated with declining mental and physical abilities. These facts raise the important question of how households can best prepare to...

July 10, 2026
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03Jul

How Americans Are Thinking About Aging: For older adults, income largely shapes the aging experience

By Luona Lin & Juliana Menasce Horowitz The U.S. population is aging rapidly. From 2004 to 2024, the share of Americans ages 65 and older increased from 12.4% to 18.0%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This is due in part to the country’s declining birth rate and increased life expectancy, but also because Baby Boomers – whose generation is defined by the increase of births in the U.S. following World War II – are now well into their 60s and 70s. This research is part of...

July 3, 2026
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