Publicly provided goods and services - such as healthcare and long-term care - can also be particularly important for retirees. In doing so, it draws on internationally comparable data. Unfortunately, such data are often available for small groups of countries only and are not collected frequently enough to yield a clear, up-to-date picture of how sources of income other than pension benefits help sustain adequate standards of living in retirement. Nevertheless, this analysis - the first of its kind - can inform the debate on the adequacy of retirement-incomes by examining some patterns of elderly homeownership and wealth holdings and exploring the importance of a public service provision.