Retirement in America – Details, episodes & analysis

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Retirement in America

Dan Doonan

Business

Government

Society & Culture

Frequency: 1 episode/35d. Total Eps: 4

Retirement in America is a podcast from the National Institute on Retirement Security exploring the challenges, ideas, and solutions shaping the future of retirement in the United States. Hosted by NIRS Executive Director Dan Doonan, the podcast features conversations with policymakers, economists, retirement experts, journalists, advocates, and everyday Americans navigating retirement decisions in real time. Each episode examines the economic, workforce, and policy trends influencing retirement security — from Social Security and pensions to 401(k)s, savings challenges, and the changing nature of work. Combining expert insight with real-world experiences, Retirement in America helps listeners better understand one of the most important financial issues facing American workers and families today. Episodes are released monthly

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http://www.nirsonline.org
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https://agewave.com/who-we-are/the-team/ken-dychtwald/
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Good

Score global : 79%

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The Middle-Class Squeeze: What It Means for Retirement Security

Season 1 · Episode 4

Thursday, August 20, 2026 • Duration 01:03:51

Why does retirement security feel increasingly out of reach for so many middle-class Americans?

In Episode 4 of Retirement in America, National Institute on Retirement Security Executive Director Dan Doonan sits down with Dr. Christian Weller, professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston, to examine the economic pressures making it harder for Americans to build financial security for retirement.

Weller explains why traditional measures of economic strength don't always reflect what families are experiencing. Rising housing and healthcare costs, longer periods of unemployment, caregiving responsibilities, and growing financial uncertainty can leave households with less money—and less capacity—to save for the future.

The conversation also explores how today's retirement system places significant responsibility and financial risk on individual workers. Doonan and Weller discuss the role pensions can play in providing greater financial security and peace of mind, as well as the need to expand retirement savings opportunities for workers who lack access to employer-sponsored plans.

Despite the challenges, Weller sees reasons for optimism, including the expansion of automatic retirement savings programs and a growing recognition that individuals shouldn't have to shoulder the burden of preparing for retirement entirely on their own.

Topics covered include:

How the middle-class affordability squeeze is affecting retirement security
Why housing and healthcare costs can make it harder for families to save
What longer periods of unemployment mean for workers, particularly those approaching retirement
How financial uncertainty and the "mental load" of managing competing expenses can affect long-term financial decisions
Why pensions can provide workers with greater financial security and peace of mind
How childcare and eldercare responsibilities can disrupt careers and retirement savings, particularly for women
Why current retirement tax incentives disproportionately benefit higher-income households
How state auto-IRA programs can expand retirement savings access for workers without employer-sponsored plans
Why Weller sees signs of progress toward a retirement system that better shares responsibility and risk

Whether you're interested in retirement policy, affordability, the economy, workforce issues, or the financial pressures facing American families, this conversation offers an important look at how today's middle-class squeeze can shape tomorrow's retirement security.

More information: www.nirsonline.org

Retirement in America – Details, episodes & analysis

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Retirement in America – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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