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Retirement in America: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Dan Doonan
Retirement in America is a podcast from the National Institute on Retirement Security exploring the challenges, ideas, and solutions shaping the future of retirement in the United States. Hosted by NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan, the podcast features conversations with policymakers, economists, retirement experts, journalists, advocates, and everyday Americans navigating retirement decisions in real time. Each episode examines the economic, workforce, and policy trends influencing retirement security — from Social Security and pensions to 401(k)s, savings challenges, and the changing nature of work. Combining expert insight with real-world experiences, Retirement in America helps listeners better understand one of the most important financial issues facing American workers and families today.
Latest Episodes
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- 3 weeks ago1h 9m
Retirement Anxiety in the Age of AI: What Americans Are Telling Us
Guest: Doug Kincaid, Greenwald ResearchHost: Dan Doonan, Executive Director, National Institute on Retirement SecurityEight in 10 Americans say the nation faces a retirement crisis. What is driving that concern and could artificial intelligence help people navigate an increasingly complex retirement system?In Episode 6 of Retirement in America, Dan Doonan talks with Greenwald Research’s Doug Kincaid about findings from NIRS’ Retirement Insecurity 2026 public opinion research. Greenwald has conducted NIRS polling since 2009, providing a long-term view of Americans’ attitudes toward retirement, pensions and Social Security.Dan and Doug explore how housing costs, debt and economic uncertainty shape retirement expectations, why Americans continue to value pensions, and the gap between accumulating savings and understanding how to turn those savings into retirement income.They also examine how AI is changing financial guidance. Could it expand access to useful advice and help people take action? Will people understand the recommendations they receive? Drawing on research with consumers and financial professionals, Doug discusses the balance between technology, trust and the personal relationships that make retirement planning meaningful.In this episode:Why retirement anxiety is rising. Eighty percent of Americans say the country faces a retirement crisis, up from 67 percent in 2020, while 61 percent worry about their own ability to achieve a financially secure retirement.The affordability squeeze. Housing costs, debt and everyday necessities compete with retirement saving—and 68 percent say preparing for retirement is becoming harder.The appeal of certainty. Concerns about Social Security and strong support for pensions underscore the value Americans place on dependable retirement income.Gen X’s retirement crossroads. A generation that watched pensions become less available is approaching retirement with fewer years left to catch up.The planning and income gap. Why people often postpone concrete retirement planning, struggle to translate savings into income, and cannot always count on working longer.AI as a tool for financial guidance. The opportunities for budgeting, investing and retirement planning—and the risks of following recommendations without understanding them.The continuing role of human advisors. Why personalized retirement planning remains valuable as AI becomes more capable and widely used.Long-term care as an unresolved challenge. Doug’s closing priority: addressing costs that can overwhelm retirees and their families, even after years of careful saving.Key resources:Retirement Insecurity 2026: Americans’ Views of Retirement available at https://www.nirsonline.org/research/nirsonline-org-reports-retirement-insecurity-2026/Greenwald Research's 2026 Retiree Insights Program available at https://greenwaldresearch.com/retireeinsights/Subscribe to Retirement in America, leave a review, and share the conversation with friends and colleagues.More information: www.nirsonline.org
- Oct 8, 20261h 4m
Special Edition: Florida’s Property Tax Initiative and the Unexpected Connection to Retirement Security
Episode Overview: Property-tax relief could help homeowners facing rising costs—but what could it mean for the services they rely on and the retirement benefits of the public employees who provide them?Recorded before a live audience at the Florida Public Pension Trustees Association conference, this Special Edition of Retirement in America examines Florida’s proposed property-tax changes, known as Amendment 3. Host Dan Doonan brings together perspectives from law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services, and local government to explore the potential benefits, fiscal pressures and long-term tradeoffs.The conversation looks beyond next year’s tax bill to consider how reduced revenues could affect staffing, emergency response, infrastructure, local control and public pension funding over time. Panelists discuss why the effects could differ across communities, what governments could do to find savings, and who might bear the cost if other taxes or fees replace property-tax revenue.While focused on Florida, the discussion offers useful questions for communities across the country weighing similar proposals. At its core is one practical question: If we substantially reduce property taxes, what is the long-term plan for the services those taxes support today?About the Florida Public Pension Trustees Association: The Florida Public Pension Trustees Association provides education and training for public pension trustees. Its programs help trustees understand the legal, actuarial, investment and administrative responsibilities involved in overseeing retirement benefits for public employees. This Special Edition was recorded live at an FPPTA conference.In This EpisodeUnderstanding the proposal. The panel reviews Amendment 3’s proposed changes to homestead exemptions, property assessments and the use of local property-tax revenue.The case for relief. Why lower property taxes could provide meaningful help for homeowners, particularly retirees and others living on fixed incomes.Finding savings before reducing services. How efficiencies, reserves, delayed equipment purchases and hiring freezes could help governments manage revenue losses—and the limits of those approaches.What residents could experience. Potential effects on police, fire and EMS response, roads, drainage, parks, maintenance and other everyday services.Year one versus year ten. Why the full consequences of vacancies, deferred maintenance and aging equipment may take several budget cycles to emerge.Different communities, different challenges. How tax bases, growth, existing staffing and financial reserves could shape the effects on smaller cities and larger jurisdictions.Who pays if property taxes fall? The tradeoffs involved in sales taxes, user fees and other revenue sources, including potential effects on lower-income households.Local control and state support. Whether replacement funding from the state could help struggling communities—and what conditions might accompany it.The connection to retirement security. How pressure on municipal budgets and changes in the public workforce could affect pension contributions, plan administration and long-term funding.Questions homeowners should ask. How to weigh immediate tax savings against the cost and value of public services over the years ahead.Retirement in America is a podcast from the National Institute on Retirement Security examining the economic, workforce and policy trends influencing retirement security. Through expert insight and real-world experience, the podcast helps listeners better understand one of the most important financial issues facing American workers and families.
- Sep 16, 20261h 8m
The New Reality of Retirement and Workplace Benefits
Episode Overview: Rising healthcare costs, changing workplace expectations and the continuing shift of retirement responsibility to individuals are reshaping the benefits landscape. In this episode, Dan Doonan talks with David Blumenstein about what these trends mean for employers, plan sponsors and workers - and why healthcare and retirement benefits must be considered together.Their conversation explores the pressure healthcare inflation places on compensation and retirement savings, the enduring value of defined benefit pensions, and the potential for technology and artificial intelligence to improve benefits analysis, communication and decision-making. Blumenstein also discusses why critical thinking, problem solving and human judgment will remain essential as the field evolves.In this Episode: How rising healthcare costs can leave employers with less room for wages and retirement contributions while increasing medical expenses for workers and retireesWhy new treatments, telehealth and rapidly changing technology are transforming employee benefitsHow workers' expectations for immediate, easy-to-use digital tools are changing benefits communicationWhy many workers cannot simply save more for retirement when basic necessities already consume most of their incomeHow defined benefit pensions provide lifetime income and reduce the financial decisions and risks individuals must manage on their ownWhere technology and AI can make benefits modeling and decision-making faster and more responsiveWhy strengthening retirement security requires action from employers, policymakers and other stakeholders - not individuals aloneAbout Guest David Blumenstein is board chair and immediate past president and CEO of Segal. Drawing on decades of experience working with employers and plan sponsors, he offers a broad view of the forces changing retirement, healthcare and workplace benefits.Resources Mentioned:Retirement Insecurity 2026 - National Institute on Retirement Security2027 Health Plan Cost Trend Survey - SegalSegal - Official websiteAbout Retirement in America: Retirement in America is a podcast from the National Institute on Retirement Security examining the economic, workforce and policy trends influencing retirement security. Through expert insight and real-world experience, the podcast helps listeners better understand one of the most important financial issues facing American workers and families.
- Aug 20, 20261h 3m
The Middle-Class Squeeze: What It Means for Retirement Security
Why does retirement security feel increasingly out of reach for so many middle-class Americans?In Episode 4 of Retirement in America, National Institute on Retirement Security Executive Director Dan Doonan sits down with Dr. Christian Weller, professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston, to examine the economic pressures making it harder for Americans to build financial security for retirement.Weller explains why traditional measures of economic strength don't always reflect what families are experiencing. Rising housing and healthcare costs, longer periods of unemployment, caregiving responsibilities, and growing financial uncertainty can leave households with less money—and less capacity—to save for the future.The conversation also explores how today's retirement system places significant responsibility and financial risk on individual workers. Doonan and Weller discuss the role pensions can play in providing greater financial security and peace of mind, as well as the need to expand retirement savings opportunities for workers who lack access to employer-sponsored plans.Despite the challenges, Weller sees reasons for optimism, including the expansion of automatic retirement savings programs and a growing recognition that individuals shouldn't have to shoulder the burden of preparing for retirement entirely on their own.Topics covered include:How the middle-class affordability squeeze is affecting retirement securityWhy housing and healthcare costs can make it harder for families to saveWhat longer periods of unemployment mean for workers, particularly those approaching retirementHow financial uncertainty and the "mental load" of managing competing expenses can affect long-term financial decisionsWhy pensions can provide workers with greater financial security and peace of mindHow childcare and eldercare responsibilities can disrupt careers and retirement savings, particularly for womenWhy current retirement tax incentives disproportionately benefit higher-income householdsHow state auto-IRA programs can expand retirement savings access for workers without employer-sponsored plansWhy Weller sees signs of progress toward a retirement system that better shares responsibility and riskWhether you're interested in retirement policy, affordability, the economy, workforce issues, or the financial pressures facing American families, this conversation offers an important look at how today's middle-class squeeze can shape tomorrow's retirement security.More information: www.nirsonline.org
- Jul 16, 20261h 7m
The State That Eliminated Pensions—and Wants Them Back
What happens when a state eliminates traditional pensions for teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public employees?In Episode 3 of Retirement in America, National Institute on Retirement Security Executive Director Dan Doonan sits down with Alaska State Representative Chuck Kopp—a former police chief and one of the leading architects of Alaska's effort to reform its public retirement system—to explore how one policy decision transformed the state's workforce.Nearly two decades after Alaska became the only state in the nation to eliminate traditional pensions for most newly hired public employees, the state now faces severe shortages of teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other essential workers. Kopp explains how retirement benefits influence recruitment and retention, why experienced employees are leaving for states that still offer pensions, and how high turnover affects taxpayers, public services, and even student outcomes.The conversation also examines Alaska's bipartisan effort to create a new shared-risk retirement plan—not a return to the state's former pension system, but a modern retirement design that combines elements of traditional pensions and defined contribution plans while sharing risk among employees, employers, and retirees. Although the legislation was ultimately vetoed by the governor, supporters plan to continue pursuing the proposal.Topics covered include:Why Alaska faces some of the nation's most severe public workforce shortagesHow retirement benefits affect the recruitment and retention of teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other public employeesThe hidden costs of employee turnover for taxpayers and government servicesWhy teacher turnover affects student learning and community stabilityAlaska's unique retirement challenges as one of the few states where many public employees are not covered by Social SecurityHow lawmakers designed a fiscally responsible shared-risk retirement plan instead of simply restoring the old pension systemWhy the proposal attracted bipartisan support—and what comes nextWhether you're interested in retirement policy, workforce challenges, education, public safety, or state government, this conversation offers a compelling look at how retirement policy can shape the strength of communities and the delivery of essential public services.More information: www.nirsonline.org
- Jun 11, 202659 min
What Happens When Retirement Lasts 30, 40 or 50 Years?
Americans are living longer than ever before—but are we prepared for what that means?In Episode 2 of Retirement in America, National Institute on Retirement Security Executive Director Dan Doonan discusses this complex topic with Ken Dychtwald, founder and CEO of Age Wave and one of the nation's leading experts on aging, longevity, and retirement. Together, they explore how increasing life expectancy is reshaping retirement, work, healthcare, and financial security.Ken discusses why he calls today's demographic transformation the "longevity revolution," how retirement has evolved into an entirely new stage of life, and why many Americans may be underestimating the challenges of financing decades in retirement. The conversation also examines the importance of health, social connection, purpose, and guaranteed retirement income in creating a secure and fulfilling retirement.Ken and Dan look at innovative ideas for helping older Americans remain engaged and connected, including Ken's vision for an "AmeriCorps for older adults."Topics covered include:How longer lifespans are changing retirement The future of work in an aging society Retirement income and financial security Health, well-being, and purpose in retirement The role of pensions and guaranteed income New ideas for supporting older Americans in the years ahead Whether you're planning for retirement, already retired, or interested in the future of aging in America, this conversation offers valuable insights into one of the most significant demographic shifts of our time. More information: www.nirsonline.org and https://agewave.com/who-we-are/the-team/ken-dychtwald/
- May 8, 202644 min
The Second Fifty: What Retirement Security Means Today with AARP’s Deb Whitman
In the premiere episode of Retirement in America, host Dan Doonan sits down with Deb Whitman, Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer at AARP and author of The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond.Together, they explore how the retirement landscape in America has changed dramatically over the past several decades — from the decline of pensions to the rise of individual savings responsibility and the financial challenges facing millions of workers today.Deb shares insights from her career in aging and retirement policy, discusses the opportunities and risks that come with longer life expectancy, and explains why retirement today requires a different mindset than it did for previous generations. The conversation also examines practical solutions that could strengthen retirement security and help more Americans prepare for the future with confidence. Topics include:The changing retirement landscape in AmericaLongevity and financial securityThe shift from pensions to individual savings plansRetirement policy and workplace solutionsThe biggest challenges facing future retireesLessons from Deb Whitman’s book The Second Fifty
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About Retirement in America
Retirement in America is a podcast from the National Institute on Retirement Security exploring the challenges, ideas, and solutions shaping the future of retirement in the United States. Hosted by NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan, the podcast features conversations with policymakers, economists, retirement experts, journalists, advocates, and everyday Americans navigating retirement decisions in real time. Each episode examines the economic, workforce, and policy trends influencing retirement security — from Social Security and pensions to 401(k)s, savings challenges, and the changing nature of work. Combining expert insight with real-world experiences, Retirement in America helps listeners better understand one of the most important financial issues facing American workers and families today.
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