"The Economics of Aging".

• Author: Greifer, Nicholas
• Position: National Bureau of Economic Research report - Brief Article

Wise, David A.

NBER Reporter, Summer 1999, pp. 1-12.

This report summarizes the National Bureau of Economic Research's (NBER) multi-pronged research into aging. The work of academics is presented in four areas: 1) savings and the changing financial status of the elderly; 2) decisions about working versus retirement; 3) health care; and 4) trends in other countries. Regarding the financial status of Americans, the author notes that all legs of the retirement "stool" are changing: Social Security, which has been slated for reform; employer-based defined benefit pensions, which are increasingly eclipsed by defined contribution plans; and non-employer savings as may be the common perception. On the latter point, the NBER...