The collapse of Enron Corp. was a wake-up call for Americans who depend on stocks to support them in retirement. It also highlighted the fact that Americans save far less than people in other industrialized countries. Moreover, there has been a dramatic shift in how corporate America helps workers pay for retirement. Employers have been replacing traditional pension plans with voluntary pensions that require workers to contribute their own money and actually make the investment decisions. Meanwhile, the imminent retirement of millions of Baby Boomers threatens Social Security's future. To make matters worse, seniors are living longer, and health-care costs are skyrocketing. But in an election year, Congress may be unwilling to reform Social Security, toughen laws protecting private pension plans or increase Medicare benefits to cover seniors' prescription drugs.

Mary H. Cooper specializes in environmental, energy and defense issues. Before joining CQ Researcher as a staff writer in 1983, she was a reporter and Washington correspondent for the Rome daily newspaper l'Unita. She is the author of The Business of Drugs (CQ Press, 1990). She also is a contract translator-interpreter for the U.S. State Department. Cooper graduated from Hollins College in English.