Center for Retirement Research at Boston College

What Center for Retirement Research at Boston College does

The Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College is a non-partisan, nonprofit academic research center dedicated to producing independent analysis of retirement income policy. Operationally housed within Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, CRR focuses on Social Security solvency, Medicare financing, retirement savings adequacy (including 401(k) plans), state and local pensions, long-term care, and aging-workforce issues. Its core products consist of a steady stream of issue briefs authored by named researchers such as Alicia H. Munnell, Geoffrey T. Sanzenbacher, Jean-Pierre Aubry, Laura D. Quinby, and collaborators; two blogs (Squared Away Blog and MarketWatch Blog); the 'Risking Old Age in America' podcast; a quarterly newsletter; and Data Resources covering Social Security, Medicare, retirement savings, and pension information. The center disseminates all of this research without charge through its website, email lists, RSS feed, and an active social presence across Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Bluesky, achieving cited coverage in CNBC, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Time, and the New York Times reaching 10+ million readers.

The business model is non-commercial. All publications are free to consumers. CRR generates revenue through a Research Partnership Program — annual institutional memberships providing access to research and data collaboration — alongside corporate sponsorships (notably Jackson National Life Insurance Company for the 'Measuring and Mitigating Retirement Risks' initiative) and voluntary donations solicited via its website. As a university research center governed by the Trustees of Boston College, CRR operates under Boston College's institutional structure and is funded by partners who value independent, non-partisan research on retirement policy. The go-to-market is content-led and earned-media-driven rather than sales-led, with policymakers, retirement-industry professionals, academic researchers, and the general public forming the four primary audience segments.

The underlying 'technology' is human-led research and policy analysis rather than a technology stack: there are no proprietary software platforms, APIs, or AI systems disclosed. CRR's principal source of structural advantage is its reputation for independence, the depth of its named research staff, the institutional credibility of Boston College, and the breadth of its multi-channel distribution footprint.

Name

Center for Retirement Research at Boston College

Legal name

Center for Retirement Research at Boston College

Website

https://crr.bc.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College is a nonprofit academic research center producing independent, non-partisan analysis on Social Security, Medicare, retirement savings, pensions, and aging-workforce issues for policymakers, retirement-industry professionals, academics, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Policy Research

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Sciences & Public Policy Research Universities (EDAHABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retirement Planning & Financial Education for Seniors (EDAAAMAF), Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE), Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Retirement policy research
• Social Security analysis
• Retirement income research
• Pension policy research
• Medicare policy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Chestnut Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Partnership Program Sponsors: Annual membership program where organizations become partners to gain access to independent research and provide perspective on retirement income issues. The Partnership Program offers benefits including research access and data collaboration.
2. Donations: Website solicits donations to support timely research that informs real-world solutions.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College is a non-profit academic research center that produces independent, data-driven research and analysis on Social Security, Medicare, retirement savings, state and local pensions, long-term care, and aging workforce issues. It publishes Issue Briefs, the Squared Away Blog, the MarketWatch Blog, a quarterly newsletter, and Data Resources, and runs an institutional Research Partnership Program along with dedicated research projects such as "Measuring and Mitigating Retirement Risks" and "Closing the Coverage Gap."

Product overview

The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College is a research organization that publishes various content series and research products. The portfolio includes two blog series (Squared Away Blog and MarketWatch Blog) covering retirement planning topics, Issue Briefs providing in-depth policy analysis, a Research Partnership Program for institutional access, and two major research projects (Measuring and Mitigating Retirement Risks and Closing the Coverage Gap). The organization also publishes a quarterly Newsletter and provides Data Resources on retirement topics. This is a publication and research-focused offering, not a technology product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Issue Briefs In-depth analytical briefs on retirement policy topics including Social Security finances, Medicare outlook, and pension issues, written by CRR researchers for policymakers, industry professionals, and the public.
• Squared Away Blog A blog covering retirement planning topics including Social Security, Medicare, long-term care, and retirement savings strategies, authored by various experts including Harry S. Margolis, for general public readers.
• MarketWatch Blog A blog series featuring market and retirement-related research insights, including content on AI's impact on older workers and market analysis, targeted at retirement professionals and informed readers.
• Research Partnership Program A partnership initiative providing institutional access to CRR research, offering annual membership benefits and research collaboration opportunities for organizations seeking independent retirement research.
• Measuring and Mitigating Retirement Risks A research initiative identifying major risks in retirement including longevity, inflation, health, market, policy, and family risks, supported by Jackson National Life Insurance Company, aimed at understanding risk perceptions and mitigation strategies.
• Closing the Coverage Gap A research project addressing retirement plan access for workers, examining employer-sponsored pension participation rates among 25-64 year olds to inform coverage gap solutions.
• CRR Newsletter Quarterly newsletter highlighting new research on retirement policy topics including policy uncertainty, low fertility, and small firm 401(k) issues, distributed via email subscription.
• Data Resources Access to retirement-related data and statistics covering Social Security, Medicare, retirement savings, and pension information for researchers, policymakers, and the public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research cited by major national media outlets including CNBC, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Jackson National Life Insurance CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Jackson National Life Insurance Company for the 'Measuring and Mitigating Retirement Risks' initiative. This project identifies major risks people face approaching retirement (longevity, inflation, health, market, policy, and family), seeks to understand their perceptions, measures potential harm, and evaluates mitigation strategies.
• Partnership Program MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual membership program providing organizations instant access to valuable, independent research. The CRR seeks partner perspectives on retirement income issues and data to advance research programs. Benefits include annual membership access.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stanford Center on Longevity: University-based research center at Stanford studying longevity, retirement, and aging-workforce issues; comparable to CRR in academic affiliation and mission focus on retirement-relevant research.
• TIAA Institute: Industry-affiliated research organization producing studies on retirement readiness, longevity, and financial security - overlapping with CRR's policy-research outputs and partnership-program model.
• Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI): Non-profit, non-partisan research organization focused on health, retirement, and economic security issues - the closest functional analog to CRR in producing independent research for policymakers, plan sponsors, and the public on retirement topics.
• RAND Center for the Study of Aging: Academic-affiliated research program producing rigorous studies on aging populations, retirement, and labor force participation - shares CRR's data-driven, university-housed research posture.
• Urban Institute (Retirement Policy Center): Produces independent research on retirement, Social Security, and aging economics, with a strong record of policy citation comparable to CRR's work for federal decision-makers.
• AARP Public Policy Institute: AARP's research arm produces independent analysis on retirement income security, Social Security, Medicare, and aging-workforce issues for federal and state policymakers - directly comparable to CRR's mission and audience.

Broad incumbents

• National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER): Premier academic economics research network with active working groups on aging and Social Security; overlaps with CRR's economics-of-retirement research, though NBER spans all of economics.
• Brookings Institution (Retirement Security Project): Larger, multi-topic think tank with a dedicated retirement-income research stream that influences federal policy, comparable to CRR's role but operating across a far broader policy portfolio.
• The Pew Charitable Trusts (Retirement Project): Non-profit research organization with a portfolio on retirement savings and Social Security policy - directly comparable to CRR in producing policy-grade research with broad media impact.

Emerging players

• MIT AgeLab: University-based research initiative at MIT that studies aging, longevity, and the future of work for older adults - overlapping with CRR's work on aging-workforce and retirement-income trends.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/retirementrsrch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/crrvideo?feature=mhum
• Facebookfacebook.com/CenterforRetirementResearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crrbc
• Instagraminstagram.com/crr_bc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Retirement Research at Boston College