Approaching retirement
I will work until they throw dirt in my face if I'm capable.
Where we are
Many older people in the United States struggle to understand when or if they can retire. Difficult decisions and sometimes overwhelming complexities accessing retirement programs make for a stressful transition.
Nearly nine out of ten people aged 65 and older receive Social Security retirement benefits, and Medicare covers nearly 64 million people1. Yet—irrespective of income, education level, and race—navigating the process to claim retirement benefits and enroll in Medicare can be time-consuming, confusing, and complex for new enrollees. For example, people may have to share the same information with several government agencies, while navigating differing age-based eligibility thresholds. If the process feels too overwhelming, individuals may miss out on critical supports for which they are eligible, including financial, housing, and nutrition.

Our approach
To start, we listened to people’s stories.
The Life Experience research team spoke with people nationwide about this moment in their lives and where the government process could have been simpler and more helpful. The listening sessions captured honest conversations about peoples' experiences, candid feedback on what could have worked better, and what really made a difference for them. Their stories have been combined and are represented here through illustrations. The quotes are real, but names have been changed.












Throughout the three-month discovery, the team collaborated across four agencies to perform primary and secondary research analysis around the approaching retirement experience. Of the 42 seniors who participated in listening sessions, diverse representation included 14 couples, 25 women, 18 persons of color, 7 widowed, and 7 high school educated.
The team spoke with:
- 42 seniors
- 40 Medicare and Social Security experts
Discovery insights
Framing for collective thinking about customer pain points
How might we improve access to tools and knowledge that help remove barriers to financially preparing for retirement, especially for people in underserved communities?
How might we ease the transition to retirement by streamlining the user experience and better connecting people to accurate support to aid their decision making?
How might we provide equitable access to available resources to help seniors recover from employment setbacks and to increase financial security by ensuring individuals understand the benefits and programs available to them?Next steps
Teams are currently working on identifying and scoping projects to move into the design phase. Please check back on this page in the coming months for updates.
Project Documentation
- Project Charter
- Project One-Sheet
- Customer Journey Map & Stories
- Information collection approved under OMB Control #3206-0276
- Life Experience Initiative Summary
- Executive Order 14058
- President’s Management Agenda
Agency collaborators
- General Services Administration
- Department of Labor
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of Agriculture
- Office of Management and Budget
- Department of Health & Human Services
- U.S. Department of the Treasury
- Social Security Administration
- Consumer Finance Protection Bureau