Reports

Many government agencies and private organizations collect statistics, conduct studies, and issue reports related to pensions and retirement income security. Click the links below to read reports on the following topics:

General Pension Studies
Defined Benefit vs. Defined Contribution Plans
Defined Benefit Plans
Defined Contribution Plans
Pension Plan Freezes, Changes, and Trends
Wealth, Savings, and Retirement Reports
Women's Retirement Security
Polls Related to Retirement Security
Public Pension Plans

You may need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these reports.

These are the latest reports added to our web site:

  • Look Before You Leap: The Unintended Consequences of Pension Freezes (National Institute on Retirement Security, October 2008). With the economy becoming weaker, many state and local governments will be facing fiscal challenges in the months and years ahead. These challenges will undoubtedly prompt governments to carefully examine all aspects of their budgets, including pension costs for state and local workforces. This brief explores important factors public employers should keep in mind when making decisions about their retirement programs. (on the Pension Plan Freezes and Public Pension Plans pages)
  • Older Workers: Employment and Retirement Trends (Congressional Research Service, September 2008). This report begins by describing the change in the age distribution of the U.S. population that will occur between 2005 and 2025 and by summarizing the historical data on the labor force participation of older workers. This discussion is followed by an analysis of data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey on employment and receipt of pension income among persons age 55 and older. Employment trends among older workers are then discussed in the context of data from the Social Security Administration on the proportion of workers who claim retired-worker benefits before the full retirement age (65 years and 10 months for people who turn 65 in 2008). The final section of the report discusses “phased retirement,” a process that combines reduced hours of work with receipt of pension income. (on the Wealth, Savings, and Retirement Reports page)
  • Robbing Tomorrow to Pay for Today: Economically Squeezed Families Are Turning to Their 401(k)s to Make Ends Meet (Center for American Progress, July 2008). To reduce the likelihood of workers leveraging their retirement to cover current catastrophes, policymakers must reduce the need for people to borrow. Policy solutions will require substantial improvements to income growth for America’s families, and a commitment to providing health and unemployment insurance to citizens who experience unexpected health expenditures and job loss. To understand the need for such policy actions, this report considers the evidence on loans drawn from DC plans from 1989 to 2004, the last year for which complete data are available. (on the Reports on Defined Contribution Plans page)