Decline in Retirement Satisfaction

The percentage of retirees who say their retirement is "very satisfying" fell from 60.5 percent in 1998 to 48.6 percent in 2012, reports the Employee Benefit Research Institute in an analysis of data from the Health and Retirement Study. The decline in retirement satisfaction has occurred across the board: men and women, wealthy and poor, healthy and sick—all were less likely to report their retirement as "very satisfying" in 2012 than in 1998.

Could the decline in satisfaction simply be due to disgruntled Boomers entering the retiree segment and skewing the results? Not according to EBRI's analysis. When EBRI examined the retirement satisfaction of retirees who had been in the HRS sample since 1998, they found a similar decline in satisfaction as they aged over the years.

Percent of retirees who say their retirement is "very satisfying"
2012: 48.6%
2010: 50.6%
2008: 53.2%
2006: 53.1%
2004: 54.5%
2002: 60.8%
2000: 60.8%
1998: 60.5%

Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute, Trends in Retirement Satisfaction in the United States: Fewer Having a Great Time