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Media reports predicted that the stock market decline in October 2008 would cause changes in retirement intentions, due to declines in retirement assets. We use panel data from the Health and Retirement Study to investigate the relationship between stock market performance and retirement intentions during 1998-2008, a period that includes the recent crisis. While we find a weak negative correlation between stock returns and retirement intentions, further investigation suggests that this relationship is not driven by wealth shocks brought about by stock market fluctuations, but by other factors that are correlated with both the stock market and retirement intentions. (Contains 3 figures, 7 tables, and 9 footnotes.)

This paper analyzes the effect of retirement on health behaviors using three nationally representative U.S. datasets. Findings show a decrease in drinking at the intensive margin, particularly for males. Individuals change their composition of exercise behaviors upon retirement, with varying effects of retirement depending on exercise intensity and gender. Dining patterns also change, with changes in eating out among men and more time spent on food preparation. Finally, although retirement increases time spent watching TV and movies as well as time spent sleeping, it reduces overall sedentary time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We utilize panel data from the Health and Retirement Study to investigate the impact of retirement on physical and mental health, life satisfaction, and health care utilization. Because poor health can induce retirement, we instrument for retirement using eligibility for Social Security and employer-sponsored pensions and coverage by the Social Security earnings test. We find strong evidence that retirement improves reported health, mental health, and life satisfaction. In addition, we find evidence of improvements in functional limitations in the long run. Although the impact on life satisfaction occurs within the first 4 years of retirement, many of the improvements in health show up four or more years later, consistent with the view that health is a stock that evolves slowly. We find no evidence that the health improvements are driven by increased health care utilization. In fact, results suggest decreased utilization in some categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper analyzes the effect of retirement on health biomarkers using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. • Most effects of retirement on health biomarkers are statistically insignificant, but some biomarkers improve while others deteriorate. • This contrasts with consistent improvements found in self-reported measures from the same dataset. We utilize panel data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to investigate the impact of retirement on objective health measures. In contrast to many previous studies, which focus on subjective self-reported health and life satisfaction measures, we focus on objective health biomarkers, such as diabetes indicators and cholesterol. Because poor health can induce retirement, we instrument for retirement using eligibility for state and employer sponsored pensions. Overall, there are few significant impacts of retirement on health biomarkers. The direction of effects is also mixed. Some biomarkers improve upon retirement, while others deteriorate. This contrasts with the consistently positive and significant improvements that are found in self-reported measures from the same dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]