Summary
Debt of the Elderly and Near Elderly, 1992-2001—Any debt that a family has going into retirement will offset its asset accumulations, lowering its level of retirement income security. This article assesses future retirees' ability to cover basic expenses throughout their retirement, given their present savings and projected savings through tax-qualified retirement plans, participation in defined benefit pension plans, and Social Security benefits. Near elderly and elderly families' ability to cover their debt before or during retirement is analyzed in terms of debt relative to income and debt relative to assets.