Facts about Finances

Typically upon becoming a widow, our income need is 80% of our need as a married couple. Our new income is typically 63% of our income as a married couple. A widowers income is typically 80% of his income as a married couple.

Median income of people over 65 (2005)
$21,784.00 males
$12,495.00 females

12.3% of women over 65 live in poverty.
7.3% of men over 65 live in poverty.

What contributes to widows having less than widowers?

During earning years, women’s income is $.80 to men’s $1.00.
Men start investing in their late 20’s.
Women start investing in their 30’s to 40’s.
Women average fewer years of employment with less opportunity for pensions.
Combining meager retirement services, declining earning power, and lack of experience investing, the fact that women live to mid eighties means many outlive their funds.

Life expectancy for men in the United States is 75.6, and 80.8 for women.

Our average age is 52.
Widows in the United States today: 12 million
Widowers in the United States today: 3 million

52%of workers 55 and over have less than $50,000.00 in savings (2006 Retirement Confidence survey)

$15 trillion: estimated assets held by Americans 65 and older, the most in history for that age group. These assets are held by a small percent of that age group.