More seniors are working — some by choice, others by necessity

May 1, 2019
Americans aged 65 and older are more likely to keep working into old age.
Emma Allen drives herself to work most days. It’s convenient, but the cost of car insurance stretches her limited budget.
Sean Havey for California Dream

Confronting a crisis: The hard truths about American retirement

Dec 31, 2018
“We are not primarily here because of too many trips to Starbucks,” author Elizabeth White says.
Elizabeth White and her forthcoming book "55, Underemployed, and Faking Normal."
Courtesy of Elizabeth White

Seniors are still struggling to recover after the financial crisis

Dec 19, 2018
The number of seniors filing for bankruptcy has nearly doubled since 2007 to a record high of 12 percent, part of it driven by the financial crisis; another part by mounting debt for things like medical care, mortgage loans and credit card bills.
Kathy Stevens, 67, plays bridge with friends at Riverview Towers in Pittsburgh. Stevens lost about a third of her savings during the financial crisis in 2008. It set off a decade of scaling back and she now lives in subsidized senior housing.
Erika Beras/Marketplace

IRS raises retirement account contribution limits

Nov 2, 2018
The IRS just raised the limit on how much you can contribute to your retirement accounts. Starting in 2019, you can put $6,000 a year into an individual retirement account and $19,000 into a 401(k) or 403(b). But a very small percentage of people take advantage of these savings plans — and a lot of […]

If you want to retire your debt before you retire, be a man

Oct 23, 2018
A report states that debt grows and follows women through life.
The United States could simply make more money to pay its bills, said Stephanie Kelton, an economics professor at Stony Brook University. But taken to an extreme, that could lead to higher inflation.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

If you want to retire your debt before you retire, be a man

Oct 23, 2018
A report states that debt grows and follows women through life.
The United States could simply make more money to pay its bills, said Stephanie Kelton, an economics professor at Stony Brook University. But taken to an extreme, that could lead to higher inflation.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Scammers are targeting retirement savings. Here's how to fight them.

Con artists are zeroing in on the retirement savings and other assets of an aging population, some of whom might already be suffering from cognitive decline.
iStock/Getty Images

An unintended consequence of the GOP tax law: bigger pensions for some

Jun 4, 2018
A decrease in the corporate tax rate gave companies more of an incentive to funnel money into defined-benefit pension plans.
There is a “considerable amount of concern that middle-income Americans are not saving enough for their retirement,” says Joseph Cordes of George Washington University.
PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images