What You Can Do about America's Retirement Crisis | Queer Money Ep. 512

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40 years ago, the US changed its approach to retirement.

But those changes shifted the risk from the government and corporations to individuals. And now, nearly half of middle-class retirees will be downwardly mobile into poverty or near-poverty in their golden years.

So, what can we do to solve the retirement crisis in America?

Teresa Ghilarducci is the nationally recognized labor economist behind the new book, Work, Retire, Repeat.

After an illustrious 25-year tenure at Notre Dame, Teresa joined the New School for Social Research in 2008. She has spent her career advocating pension reform.

On this episode of Queer Money, Teresa joins us to discuss what’s behind the retirement crisis in the US and explore what we can do to secure a dignified retirement for all.

Teresa explains why raising the retirement age isn’t the answer, exploring how the current system creates more inequality and harms low-wage older workers.

Listen in for insight on how life cycle disparities affect LGBTQ individuals and learn how Teresa’s Gray New Deal will help solve the retirement crisis in America.

Topics Covered

• What’s behind the retirement crisis in America and its political implications
• The risks associated with a pension-only retirement program
• 4 levers we can pull as voters, consumers, investors and workers to secure a dignified retirement
• Why raising the retirement age shouldn’t be the sole solution to the retirement crisis
• Why academics and politicians are arbiters of the ‘work-longer consensus’
• How changes to the retirement system create more inequality and harm low-wage older workers
• How life cycle disparities impact LGBTQ individuals and other marginalized communities
• 2 key tenets of Teresa’s Gray New Deal and how it would help Americans in retirement
• How economic security is even more important than equality
• What listeners can do to support the adoption of Teresa’s Gray New Deal

For the resources and to connect with our guests, get the show notes at: https://queermoneypodcast.com/subscribe

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