New Issue Brief: “What Financial Risks Do Retirees Face in Late Life?”

The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College has released a new Issue in Brief:

What Financial Risks Do Retirees Face in Late Life?

by Matthew S. Rutledge and Geoffrey T. Sanzenbacher

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The brief’s key findings are:

• As life expectancy rises, more retirees will face late-life financial risks, including: high health costs, financial mistakes due to cognitive decline, and widowhood.
• To date, the research literature suggests that these risks severely affect only a minority of retirees, but the impact may become more widespread in the future.
• The reasons include growing health costs; the rise of 401(k)s, which can be more vulnerable to fraud; and the declining role of Social Security’s widow benefits.

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