Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108National Institutes of Health, recommended in early 1988 the initiation of a new, long-term study to examine the ways in which older adults’ changing health interacts with social, economic, and psychological factors and retirement decisions. Government experts and academic researchers from diverse disciplines set about to collaboratively create and design the study. Ultimately, relevant executive agencies and then Congress recognized the value of this major social science investment, and the HRS was established. Today, the study is managed through a cooperative agreement between the NIA, which provides primary funding, and the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, which administers and conducts the survey. Many individuals and institutions have contributed to the scrupulous planning, design, development, and ongoing adminis- tration of the study since its inception. We are especially grateful for the study’s leadership at the University of Michigan’s Insti- tute for Social Research in Ann Arbor, specifically HRS Director Emeritus and Co-Principal Investigator F. Thomas Juster, who led the effort to initiate the HRS and held the reins until 1995, and to Robert J. Willis and David R. Weir, the study co-directors. We also acknowledge the vital contributions of the HRS co-investigators, a multidisciplinary group of leading academic researchers at the University of Michigan and other institutions nationwide. We thank the HRS Steering Committee and working groups, which have provided critical advice about the study’s design and monitored its progress, and the NIA-HRS Data Monitoring Committee, an advisory group comprised of independent mem- bers of the academic research community and representatives of agencies interested in the study. In particular, we extend our appreciation to the late George Myers and to David Wise, the past chairs of the monitoring committee, and to James Smith, the current chair, who also served as chair of the Ad Hoc Advisory Panel. An extraordinary number of researchers and others have been involved in the review, conduct, and guidance of the HRS, but special thanks are due to the co-investigators and members of the Data Monitoring Committee (see Appendix B). In addition, we thank the Social Security Administration, which has provided technical advice and substantial support for the study. Over the HRS’s history, other important contributors have included the U.S. Department of Labor’s Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the State of Florida. Many people have contributed to the development of this publication. In particular, we thank Kevin Kinsella of the International Programs Center, Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau, for his analytic expertise and information-gathering skills. A special note of appreciation is due to Carol D. Ryff, Institute on Aging, University of Wisconsin; and Richard Woodbury, National Bureau of Economic Research, for providing text and analysis of some of the secondary sources used in this report. We also thank Michael D. Hurd, RAND Labor and Population; Linda J. Waite, Center on Aging, National Opinion Research Center, University of Chicago; and James P. Smith, RAND Labor and Population, who contributed data and references. Mohammed U. Kabeto and Jody Schimmel, research associates at the University of Michigan, were responsible for providing the data tabulations that form the basis of many of the report figures. For their careful review of and suggestions regarding various chapters, we are grateful to Linda P. Fried, Center on Aging and Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health;