Why Boomers Can't Quit

Even before the financial crisis, many baby boomers hadn't saved enough for retirement. Then stocks plummeted. In 1998, the average 50-year-old who had been working for at least 10 years had a 401(k) balance of $85,000, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Factor in the recent market drop, and more than a decade later, that worker's 401(k) has grown to just $93,000. In short, we keep getting older, but our 401(k) balances, they stay the same. Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala

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Kaizar Campwala
3.9
by Kaizar Campwala - May. 21, 2009

This piece takes a longer term view than that presented in the linked WSJ story "With Jobs Scarce, Age Becomes an Issue". Like the other articles in this series, it mostly paints a rosey picture of the effects on the economy of Boomers working well into retirement. Gandel uses historical data to back up his future projections, and does include some expert opinion.

In the next year or so, older workers hanging on will make things worse. Retirement waves usually smooth recessions, as 60-somethings quit, start spending pensions and savings, and make room for younger workers. This time, though, economists think the unemployment rate will surpass 10% for the first time in decades — in part because the normal retirement cycle has been disrupted.

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