The shelf · Ageing alone
Does The Single Woman's Guide to Retirement hold up?
The Single Woman's Guide to Retirement, by Jan Cullinane (2012)
An AARP-branded retirement guide for single women covering money, housing, health, work and social life.
The short answer
Yes on the main points, though older Americans' poverty looks worse on the measure that counts medical costs.
The claims, checked
Women outlive men by about five years on average.
Holds The US gap was 4.9 years at birth in 2024 and 2.4 years at age 65.
About one in ten Americans over 65 lives in poverty.
Holds with conditions The official rate was 10.2% in 2022. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which counts medical costs, puts it at 15.4% in 2025.