Australia and International Pension Reform: Lessons for the United States

Achieving financial security in retirement is an increasing challenge as more responsibility is placed on individuals to put aside enough money during their working lives to last through their non-working years. Lessons from Australia’s mandatory retirement savings system—the Superannuation Guarantee—continue to have a great deal of relevance to American policy-makers.

On July 16, the Retirement Security Project and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center hosted Australian Assistant Treasurer Nick Sherry, an architect of the Superannuation Guarantee, who discussed the system and recent changes to it. Following the assistant treasurer’s address, a panel of international experts discussed the relevance of the Australian system to several key proposals in the United States and other countries.

After each presentation, speakers took audience questions.

Event Materials:

National Retirement Savings Systems in Australia, Chile, New Zealand and the United Kingdom: Lessons for the United States
by David C. John and Ruth Levine

Automatic Annuitization: New Behavioral Strategies for Expanding Lifetime Income in 401(k)s
by J. Mark Iwry and John A. Turner

The Honorable Nick Sherry giving keynote address