AUTHORS: Americans for Secure Retirement and The Hispanic Institute

METHODOLOGY: Americans for Secure Retirement and The Hispanic Institute examined statistics from the U.S. Census, the Social Security Administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Pew Hispanic Center and the AARP Public Policy Institute, to develop a profile on Hispanic Americans' preparedness for retirement.

MAJOR FINDINGS: Hispanic Americans have a longer life expectancy than non-Hispanics, so their retirement savings will need to last longer than they may think. Hispanic men who were age 65 in 2005 can expect to live to age 85, compared with age 81 for American men overall. Hispanic women who were age 65 in 2005 can expect to live to 88, compared with 85 for all women in the U.S.

Due to statistically lower income and net worth, however, Hispanic Americans' retirement income often lags. The mean annual income for Hispanic American retirees is $16,947, compared with $24,351 for non-Hispanic white retirees. Some 63% of Hispanic women retirees said they left the workplace because of illness, disability, company closure or other reasons not of their choosing-almost twice as many as the 35% rate for American women overall.

On average, Hispanics have less access to employer-sponsored retirement plans and employer-based retirement benefits. Only 25.6% of Hispanic Americans are covered by employer-sponsored retirement plans, compared with 42.5% of whites.

Hispanics, on average, spend 54% of their retirement income on food and housing, compared with average expenditures of just 11.5% for non-Hispanic whites.

HIGHLIGHTS: Hispanic Americans are more dependent on Social Security for retirement income than other groups. Nearly 85% of older Hispanic females receive half or more of their income from Social Security benefits, while more than 50% depend on the program for 100% of their income.

THE AUTHORS SAY: "Members of the Hispanic community will increasingly need to look for a variety of solutions to ensure a comfortable retirement. Education, diversification of employers, access to retirement planning vehicles and increased retirement savings will all play an important role in this critical national challenge."