2015 continued to be a big year for retirement research and news. From Americans lagging in their savings to Baby Boomers’ confidence in a good retirement plummeting, this years’ studies were a true wake-up call for the need to start preparing for retirement early.

In 2015, CNBC explored reasons why women are still saving and preparing less for retirement, USA Today discussed a shocking study that found that 1/3 of Americans have no retirement savings, and NBC News looked into ways that early Social Security benefits can hurt retirees.

And as retirees and soon-to-be retirees continue to prepare for a stable retirement, Fixed Indexed Annuities (FIAs) remain a good option for those looking to ensure a balanced retirement portfolio. In fact, Financial Advisor Magazine gave an in-depth look into FIAs and their rising popularity.

Here are the top 5 retirement news stories from 2015:

1)  Retiring well? Not most baby boomers

CNBC
Kelley Holland

“The Insured Retirement Institute survey found that 27 percent of baby boomers are confident they will have enough money to last through their retirement, down from 33 percent a year ago and 37 percent in 2011. Only 6 in 10 boomers report having any retirement savings, down from roughly 8 in 10 in previous surveys.”

Read full story at CNBC.

2) Early Social Security Benefits Claims Hurting Most Retirees: Survey
NBC News
Tom Anderson

“People say they want to wait longer to claim Social Security, but life often gets in the way.

A Nationwide Retirement Institute survey of Americans 50 years and older found that 83 percent of recent retirees started taking their benefits before their full retirement age, receiving 49 percent less than if they would have waited. Among recent retirees, 38 percent said they claimed Social Security benefits because they needed the money, 30 percent because they had health problems and 24 percent claimed after a job loss, Nationwide found.”

Read full story at NBC News.

3) Study: Fixed Indexed Annuities Rise in Popularity

Financial Advisor Magazine

Christopher Robbins

Twenty years after their introduction, fixed indexed annuities continue to grow in popularity among broker-dealers and consumers.

Fixed indexed annuities (FIAs) now make up 10 percent of total broker-dealer annuity sales, according to a new report by the Insured Retirement Institute, and half of broker-dealers expect this share to continue to grow.

FIAs are the third most popular form of annuity, after variable annuities with and without lifetime guarantees, with sales increasing 24 percent over 2014 to $48 billion. Since 2012, FIAs have outsold traditional fixed annuities.”

Read full story at Financial Advisor Magazine.

4) One-third have almost no retirement savings

USA Today

Nanci Hellmich

“Many people are woefully unprepared financially for retirement, and they shouldn’t count on working longer to make up the difference, a new national survey reveals.

Almost a third of workers (28%) say they have less than $1,000 in savings and investments that could be used for retirement, not counting their primary residence or defined benefits plans such as traditional pensions. And 57% say they have less than $25,000, according to a telephone survey of 1,003 workers and 1,001 retirees from the non-profit Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and Greenwald and Associates. Previous surveys from EBRI and other groups have shown similar savings rates.

Read full story at USA Today.

5) Women lagging in retirement saving: Survey

CNBC

Shelly Schwartz

“American women save far less for retirement than their male peers, and they invest too conservatively to close the gap, according to a new survey asset management firm BlackRock will release March 5. CNBC was granted exclusive early access to the survey results.

The firm’s Global Investor Pulse Survey of 27,000 investors worldwide, including 4,000 Americans, found 53 percent of working-age American women have started saving for retirement, compared with 65 percent of men.”

Read full story at CNBC.