Congressional breakfast briefing on people of color and retirement security

'I can't work, but I can't retire either' - the future doesn't appear bright for many Americans

BREAKFAST BRIEFING:

When: Thursday, June 27, 2002, 8:30-10:00 AM

Where: 2168 Rayburn House Office Building (Gold Room), Capitol Hill, Washington, DC

Workers of color are vital to America's economic prosperity, yet that prosperity is not shared by all. A number of working Americans of color continue to have limited savings, Social Security, or pension coverage, and their future economic security remains at risk. In the last three decades, poverty rates among black and Hispanic elders have risen to over two times those of whites.

To improve the retirement prospects for all workers in America, it is imperative that we better understand who is being left behind and why, says Robert B. Hudson, Editor of the Public Policy and Aging Report.

Led by Robert B. Hudson and Nancy M. Coleman, Chair of The Gerontological Society of America Public Policy Committee, this briefing will present the latest research on questions about the future retirement security of workers of color. The Briefing will feature a distinguished panel of experts, including:

• Chenoa Flippen, Duke University
• Dallas L. Salisbury, Employee Benefit Research Institute
• Judith G. Gonyea, Boston University
• Kilolo Kijakazi, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Pamela Herd, Syracuse University

The panel will provide specific examples of problems that many women and low-wage workers of color are now confronting, as well as share insights and ideas for increasing workers' retirement security. Topics include:

• Raising Retirement Age Weakens Safety Net
• Minority Preparation for Retirement Saving
• Investing for Retirement: Low-Income Workers' Dilemma
• Unreported Earnings: The Impact on People of Color and Women
• Crediting Care Under Social Security: Three Proposals

This Briefing is sponsored by The Gerontological Society of America, and the National Academy on an Aging Society, and co-sponsored by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. We extend thanks to The Older Americans Caucus for its assistance with this program. Support for the Populations of Color and Retirement Security project was provided by The Retirement Research Foundation.

Copies of the Public Policy and Aging Report and Public Policy and Aging Research Brief on People of Color and the Challenge of Retirement Security will be available at the Briefing. For additional copies call 202-408-3375 or send an email to: [email protected]