QuickFACTS^® is a monthly newsletter providing stats, trends and information on issues related to aging, including retirement planning and financing, workforce demographics, international aging, caregiving, long-term care, health and retiree benefits from a variety of sources.

Reality Check

While significantly more Americans in 2008 are worried about their ability to afford a comfortable retirement, the numbers of workers who have attempted to calculate the amount of money needed to retire has increased to 47%, up from 42% in the last 2004-2006 survey done by the Employee Benefits Research Institute. Of those workers who do a retirement needs calculation, 44% change their planning and 59% increase their savings or investments.

The 2008 Retirement Confidence Survey

Employee Benefit Research Institute
Issue Brief, No, 316, April 2008
http://www.ebri.org/pdf/briefspdf/EBREBRI_IB_04-2008.pdf

Read more in the May issue (PDF, 1.61 MB)

Assuring Your Health Care Decisions Are Yours

April 16, 2008 has been designated as the inaugural Health Care Decisions Day. On this day many organizations will participate in a nation-wide effort to stress the importance of advance health care planning so that health-related decisions will reflect an individual’s wishes at a time when he or she is unable to communicate them. Information and links to tools to complete written advance directives (health care power of attorney and living will) are available through the website: www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org.

Release: National Healthcare Decisions Day Set for April 16, 2008: Numerous National OrganizationsAlready Committed to Participate
National Healthcare Decisions Day 2008
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
October 17, 2007

Read more in the April 2008 issue  (PDF, 1.4 mb).

Smile, You’ll Live Longer

Economists with a long history of studying happiness have used mathematical tools to produce a substantial body of knowledge that explores the relationship between self-reported happiness and myriad aspects of social life. These “happiness economists” have developed “happiness equations” that show that health and happiness correlate more strongly than any other variable, including income. Although, not surprisingly, within countries across the world, wealthy people on average are happier than poorer ones.
However, as those same countries grow wealthier over time, happiness does not increase. Bottom line?
Health is wealth.

(Carol Graham, Happiness and Health: Lessons—And Questions—For Public Policy, Health Economics, January/February 2008, Volume 27/Number 1)

• February 2008 issue  (PDF, 1.32 mb)
• January 2008 issue (PDF, 1.33 mb)
• December 2007 (PDF, 480 kb)

   

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