Leading scholars focus on the economics of aging, with a particular emphasis on the economic future of the baby boom generation. Key themes include the influence of early advantages on later-life economic outcomes (the cumulative advantage/cumulative disadvantage hypothesis); the relationship between inequalities in economic status and inequalities in health status and access to health care; and the consequences of societal choices concerning retirement income systems and policies for financing acute and long-term health care. Contributors include Angela O'Rand, Edward Wolf, Edward Whitehouse, and James Smith.

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1. Introduction: Cumulative Advantage, Public Policy, and Inequality in Later Life, S. Crystal and D. Shea
2. Cumulative Advantage and Gerontological Theory, A. O'Rand
3. Income, Wealth and Late-Life Inequality in the U.S., E. Wolff
4. Cross-National Comparisons of Retirement Income, E. Whitehouse and R. Disney
5. Measurement of Late-Life Income and Wealth, J. Smith
6. Gender Differences in Pension Wealth and Their Impact on Late-Life Inequality, R. Johnson, U. Sambamoorthi, and S. Crystal
7. Human Capital and the Long-Term Effects of Education on Late-Life Inequality, G. Farkas
8. Socioeconomic Background and Midlife Health in the United States, D. Carr
9. Late-Life Morbidity Trajectories and SES, R. Schoeni, V. Freedman, and R. Wallace
10. Saving, Public Policy, and Late-Life Inequality, A. Lusardi, J. Skinner, and S. Venti
11. The Economic Future of the Baby Boom Generation, R. Johnson and S. Crystal
12. Conclusion: Prospects for Retirement Resources in an Aging Society, S. Crystal and D. Shea