Conversation "Starters"
While the headlines out of our nation’s capital are driven by talk of the looming budget crisis, concerns about the sluggish economy, and the impending 2012 elections, discussions about retirement, retirement savings, and ways to improve retirement savings have been the order of the day here in Washington. The Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) recently convened its Annual Women’s Retirement Symposium, with a focus of the future of retirement (broadly defined) and the specific implications for women (who live longer, are frequently paid less than men, and whose working careers often include family interruptions in pay and savings). EBRI data surfaced in a number of presentations throughout the event, including references to gender participation rates (see http://www.ebri.org/pdf/FFE.192.21Mar11.RCS-Gender.Final.pdf , http://www.ebri.org/files/FS4_RCS11_Gender_FINAL.pdf ), as well as differences in retirement confidence, and men’s and women’s response to opportunities s...