Skip to content

Singlehood in Retirement: A Study of Retirees

Jafor Iqbal 3/30/2018

45% of the 47.5M Americans aged 65+ are single. The majority are women.

Download Your Reports

No part of any report may be reproduced or translated without written permission from LIMRA. Please contact Customer Service for further information.

Industry Issues

Single retirees who are not living with family members, face unique retirement challenges. This report highlights their unique concerns, experiences, and financial planning needs, particularly for single women retirees.

Key Findings

  • Single retirees feel more confident about their finances when they have an advisor, a formal retirement income plan, and an annuity.
  • Half of single retired women clients have consolidated 90 percent or more of their assets with their advisors — twice the rate of single men clients.
  • Single retirees lose retirement confidence when the costs they experience exceed what they expected.
  • Six in 10 single retired women spend more than expected on housing, and 4 in 10 spend more than expected supporting family members of any age.

Related Resources

Download these images for use in your presentations

Related Research

Spousal and Adult Dependent Signatures for Life Insurance Sold in the Workplace (2017 MarketScan)

Nov 1, 2017

Learn about carrier practices for spousal and adult dependent signatures for individual and group life insurance sold at the workplace.

The Differences They Make: An Advisor, an Annuity or a Formal Plan in a Retiree’s Life

Feb 1, 2018

Learn how much retiree confidence grows when they work with an advisor, own an annuity, or have a formal plan — and how advisors can benefit from it.

Retirement Spending: Experience Versus Expectations (2017)

Sep 19, 2017

Know how retirees are creating income, their confidence in retirement security, and how advisors can be of more help.

Meet the Project Director

Jafor Iqbal

Jafor Iqbal studies retirees and the role of financial advisors in retirement income planning. In this role, he leads the LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute's retirement income initiatives. His leadership and focus in retirement income has resulted in the publishing of LIMRA’s Retirement Income Reference Book, which is a complete mapping of the retirement income marketplace that includes retirement risks and issues faced by consumers and advisors, as well as the Fact Book on Retirement Income. Prior to joining LIMRA in 2009, Iqbal was Director of Product Management at Fidelity Investments.

Assistant Vice President
LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute
jiqbal@limra.com


For more information, please contact jiqbal@limra.com.

You May Also Like...

Recognizing Financial Exploitation

Help your representatives recognize elder financial abuse.

Secure Retirement Institute

Access information regarding recent retirement specific research, educational resources, industry news and much more.

Did you accomplish the goal of your visit to our site?

Yes No