,,Do Longevity Expectations Influence Retirement Plans?

Do Longevity Expectations Influence Retirement Plans?


 

Publication Date: March 2014

Publisher: Center for Retirement Research at Boston College

Author(s): Matthew S. Rutledge; Mashfiqur R. Khan; April Yanyuan Wu

Research Area: Labor; Population and demographics

Keywords: Older workers

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The brief’s key findings are:

Workers who think they have excellent chances of living to ages 75 and 85 plan to work longer than those who think their chances are poor.

These perceptions of life expectancy also influence workers’ actual retirement behavior, though to a lesser degree.

These results are consistent with the notion that while workers who expect to live longer plan to retire later, actual behavior is influenced by unexpected shocks.