Longevity

The longevity gap refers to lower longevity rates in the United States relative to other developed countries. Critics of the U.S. healthcare system point to the gap as a characteristic of the flawed health insurance system. However, a recent New York Times article discusses the research of Samuel H. Preston and reveals some of the errors contained in the logic of critics of the U.S. health system. Source: New York Times Full Story

Findings from a recent Gallup poll suggest that annuity ownership in the United States is dominated by middle- income households and individuals. Eighty percent of annuity owners have income of less than $100,000, while only four percent of annuity owning households have incomes in excess of $200,000. Other poll findings include: Almost half of the respondents have household income less than $50,000. Seven out of ten annuity owners are retired. The average age of annuity owners is 70. Women...

The World Economic Forum--in partnership with Mercer and the OECD--delivered its findings from a two year study on the future of the pension and healthcare financing systems in ageing countries. A Mercer article discussing the research can be found by clicking on the "full story" link at the bottom of this post. Longevity risk and the role of private annuity markets are discussed, as are the potential longevity risk-mitigating effects of longevity-indexed bonds. Source: Mercer Full Story