Retiree Reflections: Seven Ways Employers Can Do More to Help Workers Prepare for Retirement 

Benefits Quarterly | July 2019

Many retirees are financially vulnerable and a 2018 retirement survey shows only 18% are very confident they will be able to retire with a comfortable lifestyle throughout retirement. The same survey found that many of these retirees retired early. Early retirement may leave you financially vulnerable because of extra years that were not used to save. How could employers have done more to help their employees better prepare for retirement? Here are seven ways employers could have done better. Read more.

Disrupt the current retirement system or be disrupted 

The Hill | June 2018

Mega-trends are transforming the global economy, national agendas and daily life. Some of these trends bring unprecedented opportunities for improving lives while others are disrupting long-standing societal constructs — including the now wobbly “three-legged stool” for retirement. A 2018 global retirement survey illustrates the imperative for change in the U.S. and abroad and sets forth nine essential features for a modernized retirement system. We must work together and forge a new social contract for retirement that is flexible and adaptable to the ever-changing times. Read more.

Don't Let Debt Sabotage Your Retirement 

Next Avenue | April 2018

Workers age 50+ are increasingly at risk of being sabotaged by debt and one of the biggest saboteurs is borrowing from a 401(k). A 2017 retirement survey found debt to be a concerning theme among workers age 50+. Increasing rates of debt may be eroding the long-term financial security of many workers who are nearing retirement. So if you’re in a pickle having to borrow money for school, buying a car, home purchase, here are six tips to manage debt. Read more. 

Are Your Older Employees Thinking Differently About Retirement?

HR Daily Advisor | October 2017

Today’s workers, many of whom are still recovering from the Great Recession, are seeking to extend their working lives because they want or need the income and benefits, and to a lesser extent because they enjoy what they do. Employers are at a crossroads where they can choose to recognize new retirement paradigms or continue to resist them. A 2017 retirement survey illustrates the need to help older workers transition into retirement. Employers have the opportunity to implement new practices to meet the needs of their experienced workers. Read more.  

The Saver's Credit: A Case Study About a Little-Known Tax Credit That Pays to Save for Retirement 

The Aspen Institute | February 2017 

It may sound too good to be true: a tax credit that can lower a taxpayer’s bill if he or she saves for retirement in a tax-favored retirement account. But yes, the IRS has a tax credit that pays people to save for retirement. A 2016 retirement research report illustrates the need for more awareness of the Save’s Credit, a tax incentive available to the public to save more for their retirement. So if you ever feel yourself falling short on retirement savings, consider learning about the Saver’s Credit. Read more.

DCIIA Plan Sponsor Survey 2014: Focus on Automatic Plan Features

DCIIA research findings show that using automatic enrollment and automatic contribution escalation increases retirement plan participation rates as well as retirement savings rates.The survey identifies both the promise of what is possible and the barriers that remain to adoption of automatic features in a number of plans. Catherine Collinson, president of Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, is one of whitepaper’s authors.

Behavioral finance and pension decisions

by Lampros Romanos 
in conjuction with Erasmus University Rotterdam and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies

An extensive literature review and a focused analysis on how framing effects, financial literacy, self-control and loss aversion affect pension decisions

The retirement landscape is rapidly changing with pension savings shifting to Defined Contribution plans. This means that individuals are increasingly confronted with more responsibilities to make decisions about their retirement savings. They are however, neither qualified enough, nor always willing to make such difficult decisions. The present paper after reviewing relevant behavioral theories and studies, uses the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies (TCRS) 15th Annual US Retirement Survey to examine the impact of framing effects, financial literacy, self-control and loss aversion on those decisions. It finds strong framing and anchoring effects on the match threshold of a matching contribution feature within 401 (k) or similar plans. Moreover, the findings of this paper suggest that financial literacy cannot significantly mitigate these framing effects. Lastly, this paper shows that commitment devices such as having multiple savings accounts can significantly increase ‘out of work’ savings for retirement.

Global Retirement Expectation Gaps -- TCRS featured in PIMCO’s DC Dialogue (January 2015)

Stacy Schaus, PIMCO’s Defined Contribution Practice Leader, interviews with Catherine Collinson, president of Transamerica Institute and Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, a nonprofit based in the U.S. and Lex Solleveld, retirement product design leader of Aegon in the Netherlands about similarities and differences between retirement systems in the US and The Netherlands.

Destination Retirement: Three Different Roads for Three Unique Generations

LIMRA’s MarketFacts Quarterly, October 2014
by Catherine Collinson

Baby Boomers Will Trailblaze New Retirement Models (They Have To)

Aging Today, American Society on Aging, September/October 2014
by Catherine Collinson