National Institute on Retirement Security

In response to the veto of bipartisan legislation passed by the Alaska legislature to provide defined benefit pensions to Alaska’s public employees, NIRS issued the following statement today:

“Alaska’s effort to restore a pension plan for public workers represents meaningful progress in addressing one of the state’s most pressing challenges: attracting and retaining a stable, experienced public workforce. While Governor Dunleavy has vetoed the legislation, the fact that the measure passed both the House and Senate demonstrates a growing recognition that retirement benefits are not just about retirement security — they also are an essential workforce management tool."

Read the full statement of Dan Doonan, NIRS Executive Director.

Statement on Efforts in Alaska to Restore Pension Benefits to Address Grave Workforce Shortage - NIRS NIRS responds to Alaska’s vetoed pension legislation, highlighting how retirement benefits help address public-sector workforce shortages and improve employee retention.

We’re thrilled to launch Retirement in America: Conversations on the Future of Retirement Security — a new monthly podcast from NIRS exploring the ideas, challenges, and solutions shaping retirement in America.

Our debut episode features an outstanding conversation with Debra Whitman, Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer at AARP and author of The Second Fifty. Deb brings deep expertise and thoughtful insight on how retirement is changing in America — from pensions and Social Security to savings challenges and financial security for future generations.

A huge thank you to Deb for joining us as our first guest — and to our members and supporters who make conversations like this possible.

As the media and communications landscape continues to evolve, we’re committed to creating new ways to elevate thoughtful discussions around retirement policy and retirement security.

Watch, listen, subscribe, and share. It is available on all major podcast formats and YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWIGVyxl2O8&t=164s

Let us know what you think — and who you’d like us to feature in future episodes.

Retirement in America Podcast | Episode 1: The Second Fifty: What Retirement Security Means Today In the premiere episode of Retirement in America, host Dan Doonan sits down with Deb Whitman, Executive Vice President and Chief Public Policy Officer at AAR...

Our new research is cited in a The New York Times article on a growing concern: more Americans are tapping their 401(k)s retirement savings early just to get by. When people are forced to withdraw from already limited savings, it’s a clear signal that the retirement system isn’t working for too many Americans. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/business/401k-hardship-withdrawals-retirement.html

They Withdrew 401(k) Money Early, and They Have Some Regrets More Americans are taking hardship withdrawals from workplace retirement accounts, prompted by rising costs — and looser rules.

We are thrilled to share that Barbara Butrica has been named Director of Research. She brings decades of expertise on Social Security, retirement income, and the economic well-being of older Americans.

At a time when millions of Americans face serious retirement savings challenges, Barbara’s leadership will help strengthen the data, insights, and solutions driving the national conversation. As Executive Director Dan Doonan shared, her ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights will be invaluable to policymakers and stakeholders alike.

Barbara officially joins NIRS on April 27.

Read more: https://ow.ly/QR5J50YK0XJ

Yesterday, Dan Doonan joined NRTA: AARP Educator Community for a timely conversation on retirement security for America’s educators.

Alongside Al Campos and Jammie Lyell, Dan shared key insights from our Retirement in America research, including just how challenging it is for many Americans to build retirement savings in today’s economy.

The discussion highlighted what the data tells us, why it matters for educators, and the tools and information needed to plan ahead with confidence. With affordability pressures rising and access to retirement plans still uneven, these conversations are more important than ever.

We invite you to Watch the full replay.

National Webinar | Financial Security in Retirement: Financial Readiness and Tools for Educators 50+ Planning for retirement can feel overwhelming, but having the right information makes all the difference. To help, NRTA: AARP’s Educator Community hosted a w...

Our research finds the typical working-age American has just $955 saved for retirement.
It's a stark reminder of the challenges millions face, especially for nearly half of the workforce without a retirement plan at their job. https://ow.ly/sKri50Yz6Zy

No Workplace Plan Often Means No Retirement Savings: Study Americans without access to a workplace retirement plan are probably not saving at all, finds new report from NIRS

The National Institute on Retirement Security is hiring! We’re seeking a Director of Research to lead a national research agenda focused on one of the most pressing issues facing Americans today — financial security in retirement.

Learn more and apply: https://www.nirsonline.org/about/careers/

We're looking forward to sharing information with educators on our retirement research! Be sure to register for valuable retirement information from AARP and NRTA!

Planning for retirement can feel overwhelming, but having the right information makes all the difference. To help, we're hosting a webinar for 50+ educators with timely and practical information from AARP and the National Institute on Retirement Security.

"Financial Security in Retirement: Financial Readiness and Tools for 50+ Educators" will provide clear, easy-to-understand information to help educators make informed decisions about their financial future.

Register: https://events.aarp.org/event/9587d9ce-38f0-48b4-ac8b-58b99a51fece/summary

We look forward to engaging with you -- and we invite you to share this information with friends and family!

That's a wrap on our 17th Annual Retirement Conference, Securing Retirement for Future Generations! It was a HUGE success thanks to our outstanding speakers and conference attendees. So many important conversations and data points about the retirement challenges facing our nation, and how we can improve. One common theme: the affordability crisis is presenting too many Americans with an impossible choice -- pay today's bills or save for tomorrow. We can do better, and we are committed to helping provide reliable research that will lead to sensible solutions.

Here was our speaker line up if you weren't in attendance - our keynote speakers were outstanding, as were all the panelists. Our deepest gratitude to everyone in attendance and the organizations who support our work! See you next year.

Governor Martin O’Malley, Former Social Security Administration Commissioner
Congressman Thomas Suozzi, (NY-3)
Dr. Christian Weller, Professor and Department Chair of UMass Boston
Dan Doonan, Executive Director, National Institute on Retirement Security
Stephanie Dhue, Senior Producer, CNBC
Jason Fichtner, Ph.D., Executive Director, LIMRA Retirement Alliance for Lifetime Income
Joe Newton, Pension Market Lead, Gabriel, Roeder, Smith
Kerry Hannon, Yahoo FinanceYahoo Finance Columnist and Retirement Bites Author
Dr. Jessica Lautz, Deputy Chief Economist, National Association of Realtors
Marshall-Genzer Nancy, Correspondent, Marketplace Business News
Michelle Singletary, Personal Finance Columnist, Washington Post
John Sullivan, Associate Partner, Aon
Todd Tauzer, Senior Vice President, Segal