WP 10-2 by Geoffrey Wallace, Robert Haveman, Karen Holden, and Barbara Wolfe follows a sample of social security beneficiaries drawn from the Health and Retirement Study from their first year of retirement (or social security receipt) for up to 15 years into retirement. The rates at which retirees are subject to family structure change, cognitive decline, health decline, and other events are estimated, as well as the effects of each event on a wealth. The findings highlight the importance of cognitive and health declines as events with the potential to shape the evolution of wealth post-retirement, as well as populations that are particularly vulnerable to these events.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Financial Security 