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The demand for enhanced annuities

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  • Steinorth, Petra

Abstract

This paper examines market reaction to the introduction of enhanced annuities in a market for deferred standard annuities. The previous literature shows that individuals can try to avoid risk classification by contracting a standard annuity earlier in their life. This paper offers a new perspective to the timing of the annuity purchase under the assumption that individuals already have an idea about their future risk type when young which becomes clearer over time. It shows that enhanced annuities can crowd out earlier standard annuities completely if the individuals have incomplete knowledge of their future risk type. However, if individuals are sufficiently risk averse and there is a sufficiently high proportion of low risks in the population, both products can remain in the market where lower risk types buy enhanced annuities while the higher risks stick to the early standard annuities. The paper identifies the equilibrium candidate with both annuity types to be Pareto-superior and the unique equilibrium.

Suggested Citation

  • Steinorth, Petra, 2012. "The demand for enhanced annuities," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(11), pages 973-980.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:96:y:2012:i:11:p:973-980
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2012.07.007
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. M. Martin Boyer & Franca Glenzer, 2021. "Pensions, annuities, and long-term care insurance: on the impact of risk screening," The Geneva Risk and Insurance Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 46(2), pages 133-174, September.
    2. Karatetskaya Efrosiniya & Lakshina Valeriya, 2018. "Volatility Spillovers With Spatial Effects On The Oil And Gas Market," HSE Working papers WP BRP 72/FE/2018, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    3. Richard Peter & Andreas Richter & Petra Steinorth, 2016. "Yes, No, Perhaps? Premium Risk and Guaranteed Renewable Insurance Contracts With Heterogeneous Incomplete Private Information," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 83(2), pages 363-385, June.
    4. Meyricke, Ramona & Sherris, Michael, 2013. "The determinants of mortality heterogeneity and implications for pricing annuities," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(2), pages 379-387.
    5. d’Albis, Hippolyte & Kalk, Andrei, 2021. "Why do we postpone annuity purchases?," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    6. Christophe Courbage & Richard Peter & Béatrice Rey, 2022. "Incentive and welfare effects of correlated returns," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 89(1), pages 5-34, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Enhanced annuities; Adverse selection; Annuity demand; Timing of annuity purchase;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

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