US retirement trails other nations'

Comparing the fortunes of U.S. retirees with their counterparts in other wealthy nations can be challenging, given differences in public and private benefit programs, the age at which citizens leave the workforce, and various pension reforms of recent years.

Generally, though, many economists view public retirement benefits in the United States as less generous than those in other wealthy nations.

The gaps may be narrowing, though, as other countries -- many of which have long had younger retirement ages -- seek to adjust their systems.

"There's a much richer support network in Europe than there is here," says Jonathan Gruber, a professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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