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Monday, November 28, 2016
Spotlight: Working Hoosiers Age 50+
AARP Indiana and the
Institute for Working Families have teamed up on this spotlight on low-income
working Hoosiers age 50+.

In two words, retirement savings. Today, 64% of Americans
are worried
about having enough money for retirement, up from 60% in 2015. According to
the Financial
Security Scorecard, only about half of Hoosier workers participate in an
employer-sponsored retirement plan and the average savings in defined
contribution (DC) accounts in Indiana is $26,971. This is not far off from the
national average, with 46% of private sector workers participating in a retirement
plan and defined contribution account balances averaging $30,345. Experts
recommend that by one’s 40’s, an individual should have saved 2-3 times her
salary. Without these savings, many come to rely almost exclusively on social
security. In Indiana, 26% of Hoosiers age 65+ depend
on social security for 90% or more of their income, and the average benefit
amount is only $1380 per month.
Some advocates and policymakers are taking action to help
individuals prepare financially for the later years. California recently
launched a new
state retirement plan for small business employees who lack access to
workplace plans. Last session in Indiana, AARP
championed a bill that would have established the Hoosier employee
retirement options (HERO) portal – a platform to connect Indiana employers with
financial services firms for the purposes of establishing retirement plans for
their employees. It is uncertain whether this bill will be reintroduced this
session. Either way, getting retirement savings rolling is only half the
battle.
Even among savers, income equity is an issue. Women are more
vulnerable to retirement
savings shortfalls - they typically live longer, have higher lifetime medical
costs, and receive lower pay. They are also more likely to take time out of the
workforce or change careers for caregiving purposes. The hidden costs
of these gaps in employment can amount to as much as four times an individual’s
salary per year out of the workforce. As a result, paid family leave and a more
reliable, cost-effective childcare system would also improve Hoosiers’ ability
to retire with dignity by facilitating primary caregivers’ abilities to persist
in their careers.
Paid leave is not only just an important support to new parents.
While many older adults are no longer giving birth, the need
for family and medical leave is still great as these workers balance the
needs of their employers with their own medical needs and those of aging
parents, ill spouses, and grandchildren. The Council for Disability Awareness
suggests that 1 in 4 workers will
experience a medical event requiring significant time off work over the
course of their career, but not all individuals are prepared for the
accompanying loss of income such an event can bring. Furthermore, AARP Public
Policy Institute estimates that in Indiana, 837,000
family caregivers provided 779 million hours of care to elderly or disabled
family members. Many older Hoosiers also need
time to care for grandchildren; in 2015, 124,000 Hoosier grandparents lived
with their grandchildren, and nearly half were responsible for the children’s
basic needs. These responsibilities and the lack of leave policies beyond the
Family and Medical Leave Act mean that each year, an estimated 3.6
percent of Hoosier employees age 50+ need time off from work and are unable
to take it.
For Hoosiers who have worked hard in their jobs and in their
homes, the third act should be a time to enjoy the fruits of those labors.
Without a shift in policies, too many Hoosiers will spend those golden years
struggling to balance both their checkbooks and the competing demands of work
and family. AARP Indiana
and Indiana Institute for Working
Families encourage the Indiana General Assembly to consider the needs of
current and future Hoosiers, acting on legislation that will help Hoosiers achieve
and maintain self-sufficiency across their lifespan.