Personal Finances

In the past, when relatively few wives worked, marriage enhanced the economic status of women more than that of men. Recently, however, the economic gains associated with marriage have been greater for men.

About half of all current retirees say they retired because they wanted to.

Among workers ages 50 to 61, fully 63% say they might have to push back their expected retirement date because of current economic conditions.

Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer. Both trends intensified with the recession and are expected to continue after the economy recovers. One reason: Older workers value not just a paycheck, but the psychological and social rewards.

The American work force is graying -- and not just because the American population itself is graying. Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer.

Some 69% of Americans have used the internet to cope with the recession as they hunt for bargains, jobs, ways to upgrade their skills, better investment strategies, housing options, and government benefits.

There is a sizable gap between the expectations that young and middle-aged adults have about old age and the actual experiences reported by older adults themselves.

Overview The public is increasingly optimistic that the nation’s economy will improve in the next year, while a growing number also expect their personal finances to get better. But this has not caused people to open their wallets: The proportion saying they have cut back on personal spending remains as high as it was earlier […]

Just over half of all working adults ages 50 to 64 say they have thought in the past year about postponing retirement.

In the midst of a recession that has taken a heavy toll on many nest eggs, just over half of all working adults ages 50 to 64 say they may delay their retirement -- and another 16% say they never expect to stop working.