Key Takeaways Married workers hold far higher retirement balances and overall assets than unmarried peers. Divorced, widowed, and separated workers are most likely to tap retirement funds early. Structural income and wealth gaps—not just habits—contribute to the divide, but there are ways to strengthen your position. A new report from the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS), based on U.S. Census data of workers ages 21 to 64, highlights how typical retirement balances lag what workers ...