THE CHANGES AND CONTRIBUTORS TO THE PERCEPTION OF RETIREMENT INCOME ADEQUACY

Abstract

This study examines the contributing factors that influence the variation in the perception of retirement income adequacy, analyzing U.S. households who are in the nearing retirement stage (age 55-64) in 2007 along with U.S. households who are in the first stage of retirement (age 65-74) in 2016, within the Survey of Consumer Finances. This study performs pair-matching or one-to-one propensity score matching of the cohort nearing retirement in the 2007 SCF dataset with those of the first stage of retirement in the 2016 SCF dataset who share a similar value of the propensity score. Statistically, these are the same households nine years later. Results show that of those households in the near retirement stage, 55.80 percent perceive their retirement to be adequate, while 72.20 percent of those in the first stage of retirement perceive their retirement income to be adequate. This study examined the effect of sociodemographic characteristic, human capital, financial capital, and financial attitude predictors on the perceived adequacy of retirement income. Probit analysis showed retired (first stage of retirement) respondents who were married, white, headed by male, college educated, had sufficient net worth and income, were homeowners, in good health, had saved, took financial risks, had a longterm financial planning horizon, received or expected to receive an inheritance had a defined benefit pension plan, and/or owned a defined contribution plan were more likely to perceive their retirement income to be adequate than otherwise similar households.