Teresa Ghilarducci

Unseen Costs: How Providing Eldercare Impacts Work and Economic Security - ASA Generations Women are more likely to receive care, and many other findings from a study of HRS, ATUS, and CPS data.

Who pays the price of unpaid eldercare? Research in Generations Journal finds women & caregivers of color lose the most work time & financial security.
@jessforden.bsky.social @tghilarducci.bsky.social
generations.asaging.org/unseen-costs...

Caregiving and Retirement: Social Security and the Financial Strain of Eldercare - ASA Generations Caregivers often turn to Social Security payments to make ends meet, leaving them in a vulnerable position later in life.

Millions of Americans care for aging loved ones — but who cares for them? Our piece explores how unpaid caregivers manage retirement and financial strain, and why the U.S. needs to investment in long-term care.
@jessforden.bsky.social @erinsimmons.bsky.social
generations.asaging.org/caregiving-a...

Today’s Social Security COLA Is Inadequate For Three Reasons The 2026 Social Security COLA fails to match inflation because benefits lag, Medicare costs rise, CPI-W is quirky and older women lose most.

A 2.8% Social Security COLA ≈ $52/month. But most retirees say it won’t cover rising costs. Why the COLA is failing:
- Inflation outpaces the raise
- Medicare premiums offset gains
- Wrong inflation index for seniors
Read more: www.forbes.com/sites/teresa...
#SocialSecurity #COLA #RetirementCrisis

Contending With Home Care Needs After a Work Disability - ASA Generations Who tends to become disabled, what benefits are available for caregiving, and how might benefits impact household income long-term?

New in Generations: NYRDRC’s Jennie Kaufman & Na Yin explore how older workers with disabilities navigate home care needs—and the strain this places on families & benefit systems. Read “Contending With Home Care Needs After a Work Disability” here:

generations.asaging.org/contending-w...

Student Debt Is Not Just for Kids - ASA Generations A mixed-methods analysis of the impact of student debt on retirement security and claiming age

New easy-to-read publication out: Preliminary findings from mixed methods work on student debt and retirement, conducted by myself and @erinsimmons.bsky.social under @tghilarducci.bsky.social 's team at @scepa-economics.bsky.social and @nssrnews.bsky.social

generations.asaging.org/student-debt...

The Complex Impact of ‘On’ and ‘Off the Books’ Work - ASA Generations Estimating what we miss about direct care workers’ employment, earnings, and retirement savings.

The people who care for our loved ones often do so without protections or benefits. A new piece from Ruth Finkelstein and colleagues explores: What happens when vital care work goes ‘off the books’? #DirectCare #CareEconomy #Aging
generations.asaging.org/the-complex-...

Transformative Approaches to Social Security Benefits - ASA Generations Generations Journal, vol. 49, no. 3 (Fall 2025)

The SCEPA team is so proud to have work featured in the latest edition of Generations Journal, "Transformative Approaches to Social Security Benefits" on who Social Security leaves behind and why that must change. This is a call for equity, evidence & action.
generations.asaging.org/publications...

Donald Trump’s approval rating plunges with baby boomers Baby boomers were critical to Trump’s 2024 victory, when 51 percent of the age group voted for him.

President Trump’s weakening support among voters over 65 reflects growing economic anxiety, as nearly half of older workers approach retirement without enough savings to maintain their standard of living or even stay above the poverty line.

www.newsweek.com/donald-trump...

YouTube video by CBS Evening News Unemployed woman says search for work has been "impossibly difficult"

The job market is worsening. Uncertainty from tariff policy & lack of investment outside AI is driving a slowdown. Long-term unemployment is rising—and the true jobless rate is worse than reported. Don’t expect improvement soon. #economy #jobs #recession
youtube.com/watch?v=zd7k2KUQoZg

Is America’s Retirement System Failing Future Retirees? As America ages and income inequality deepens, concerns about retirement security are mounting.

Too many still believe the U.S. doesn't have a retirement crisis. But new research shows Late Boomers, Gen X, & Millennials face a far riskier future. I spoke with Dan Doonan about why the "don't worry" narrative is dangerous. Our Q&A in @forbes.com :
www.forbes.com/sites/dandoo...

Labor Day 2025: Who Owns The Economy? After nationwide repression of unions, wages fell more in markets where unions had previously delivered larger gains. When unions are weakened, pay falls.

Who owns the economy?
www.forbes.com/sites/teresa...

Millions rely on Medicaid for long-term care -- but July’s OBBB could push that burden onto families. Our latest Retirement Tracker breaks down how reduced funding and new barriers will have profound effects for older and disabled Americans.
www.economicpolicyresearch.org/resource-lib...

Inflation Is Up .2%: Will Trump Now Rig The CPI? Normally, a higher inflation raye would spark somewhat boring debates about Fed policy and consumer sentiment. This time, new danger lurks.

Yesterday’s inflation report showed a 0.2% increase - expected, but still significant. What’s more troubling, though, is a growing risk that’s not about inflation itself, but about the integrity of how it’s measured. Read more here

www.forbes.com/sites/teresa...

The Looming Retirement Crisis Is Real And So Are The Solutions There’s no shortage of turmoil around Social Security and retirement security these days. If you listen to Americans—Republicans, Democrats, the rich, the poor, the very online and the very offline—yo...

I recently sat down with Bob Powell, Decoding Retirement podcast host, to discuss how to prepare for the coming retirement crisis. You can read more from our conversation here, or click the link in the article to listen!

www.forbes.com/sites/teresa...

SCEPA’s latest report reveals that Late Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials are retiring under significantly worse conditions than Early Baby Boomers. The report highlights the shifts that have eroded retirement security for later generations.
www.economicpolicyresearch.org/resource-lib...

Commentary: Social Security sends millions of Americans a misleading and 'blatantly political' message The Social Security Administration lied about the GOP budget bill in a message to beneficiaries. Can we trust anything it tells us in the future?

“Like so much else in the budget bill, the tax break as it might apply to Social Security benefits goes mostly to wealthier taxpayers. That’s because of the way Social Security benefits are taxed.” - @hiltzikm.bsky.social www.latimes.com/business/sto...

I recently sat with Sachin Shah, CEO of Brookfield Wealth Solutions to take a deep dive into the structural challenges of retirement—and how guaranteed income for life can be part of the answer. Listen to our conversation here:

www.brookfield.com/news-insight...

New Social Security Commissioner Politicizes The Trusted Agency trends and policies are happening to Social Security that suggests the agency is becoming more politicized

Social Security's new chief sent out a partisan, misleading email celebrating Trump’s unpopular “Big, Beautiful Bill.” It falsely claims tax relief for seniors—when in fact, the bill doesn’t touch Social Security taxes and could actually lead to cuts. Read more here
www.forbes.com/sites/teresa...

Social Security Administration ends NY research consortium. Here's what that means for New Yorkers. Almost 4 million New Yorkers collect Social Security benefits, and over half a million rely on it for more than 90% of their income. Trump's administration cut funding for a NY research center that an...

My colleague Ruth Finkelstein, professor of public health at Hunter College, remembers in excruciating detail the moment the Social Security Administration cancelled funding for the 25 year old Retirement and Disability Research Consortium.
www.healthbeat.org/newyork/2025...

New research from SCEPA reveals how Americans are reacting to threats to Social Security in early 2025—and what it says about a deeper, ongoing retirement crisis. By listening to people, we see how trust erodes and futures are put at risk.
www.economicpolicyresearch.org/resource-lib...

We stand by our use of relative poverty measures—an international standard vital for assessing poverty in wealthy nations. They highlight the struggles older Americans face that absolute metrics miss; crucial for a fair discussion on elder poverty.

www.economicpolicyresearch.org/resource-lib...

House Payments that Don’t Retire More people are borrowing more money to buy more expensive homes, making it hard to pay off mortgages before retirement

"More people are borrowing more money to buy more expensive homes, making it hard to pay off mortgages before retirement" - Chris Farrell
www.nextavenue.org/house-paymen...

Inclusive Wealth Building Initiative

This proposal by current WH NEC Director Kevin Hassett & New School economist @tghilarducci.bsky.social is one of the best. Would move us in a good direction. Wish Hassett prioritized this.
eig.org/inclusive-we...

🚨 Supreme Court allows DOGE to have Social Security 🚨Americans’ most sensitive data

Social Security data needs to be protected! Congress needs to act now and boost TRUST in Social Security.

www.economicpolicyresearch.org/resource-lib...

1. $200 monthly increase in Social Security
2. Raise the cap on Social Security FICA tax.
NOW- in this budget. Republicans and Democrats do right by workers and retirees and their families

Two things the senate can do right now to save Social Security

YouTube video by CBS Evening News "CBS Evening News" Full Broadcast | June 4, 2025

Wait for the maximum benefit, don't cut yourself now anticipating it will be cut later youtu.be/JooyHLVoBC0?...

Couple faces retirement fears amid market swings: "We don't have do-over time" Like millions of Americans, Alicia and Chu Gomez are experiencing the waves of an uncertain, see-sawing market.

Uncertainty, fear, and anxiety can lead to impulsive and costly decisions. If you can wait to take Social Security, please do
www.cbsnews.com/news/market-...

Don’t count on an inheritance: Baby boomers are hanging on to their money How to tell your children you plan to “die with zero” and leave them nothing.

Government policies and institutions have failed wealth building for most American households with workers. Setting aside the wealthiest 10% of Americans, the median inheritance from the remaining 90% is almost nothing
Thank you @jannaherron.bsky.social www.marketwatch.com/story/dont-c...

Despair Is Not an Option What you can do if you are approaching retirement with a lot of debt and little savings

In the last 30 years the share of workers with a pension dropped from 50% to 25%
www.nextavenue.org/despair-is-n...