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Why Do Some Households Save So Little? A Rational Explanation

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Author Info
Siu Fai Leung (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - Department of Economics)

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Abstract

This paper offers an explanation for the puzzle of low wealth holdings among a significant fraction of the elderly. Instead of invoking irrational, non-rational, or non-optimal behavior to resolve the puzzle, it is shown that widespread low wealth holdings are consistent with a rational life-cycle model of saving with uncertain lifetime and borrowing constraint. When there is uncertainty about the length of life, it is optimal for some individuals to save little and exhaust their wealth early. The characteristics of these individuals are derived. The simulation results support that the model can account for low wealth holdings as well as early terminal wealth depletion. The analysis also rejects the common perception that uncertain lifetime reduces dissaving. (Copyright: Elsevier)

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File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/redy.1999.0090
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Publisher Info
Article provided by Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics in its journal Review of Economic Dynamics.

Volume (Year): 3 (2000)
Issue (Month): 4 (October)
Pages: 771-800
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Handle: RePEc:red:issued:v:3:y:2000:i:4:p:771-800

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Related research
Keywords: life-cycke uncertain lifetime saving wealth dissaving elderly retirement rational behavior

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory
D91 - Microeconomics - - Intertemporal Choice and Growth - - - Intertemporal Consumer Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Production
J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Mervyn A. King & Louis Dicks-Mireaux, 1982. "Asset Holdings and the Life Cycle," NBER Working Papers 0614, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Jappelli, Tullio, 1990. "Who Is Credit Constrained in the U.S. Economy?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 105(1), pages 219-34, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Lawrance, Emily C, 1991. "Poverty and the Rate of Time Preference: Evidence from Panel Data," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(1), pages 54-77, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Feldstein, Martin, 1995. "College Scholarship Rules and Private Saving," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 85(3), pages 552-66, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Olivia S. Mitchell & James F. Moore, . "Retirement Wealth Accumulation and Decumulation: New Developments and Outstanding Opportunities," Pension Research Council Working Papers 97-8, Wharton School Pension Research Council, University of Pennsylvania.
    Other versions:
  6. Kotlikoff, Laurence J & Spivak, Avia, 1981. "The Family as an Incomplete Annuities Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 89(2), pages 372-91, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Kuehlwein, Michael, 1995. "A Close Look at Dissaving in the Longitudinal Retirement History Survey," Review of Income and Wealth, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 41(2), pages 161-76, June.
  8. repec:att:wimass:199226 is not listed on IDEAS
  9. Michael D. Hurd, 1999. "Mortality Risk and Consumption by Couples," NBER Working Papers 7048, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  10. Poterba, James M & Venti, Steven F & Wise, David A, 1994. "Targeted Retirement Saving and the Net Worth of Elderly Americans," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(2), pages 180-85, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Diamond, P. A., 1977. "A framework for social security analysis," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 275-298, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Alan L. Gustman & F. Thomas Juster, 1995. "Income and Wealth of Older American Households: Modeling Issues for Public Policy Analysis," NBER Working Papers 4996, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Siu Fai Leung, 1995. "A distinction between continuous-time and discrete-time models of uncertain lifetime," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(3-4), pages 291-296, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Hurd, Michael D, 1989. "Mortality Risk and Bequests," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 57(4), pages 779-813, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Modigliani, Franco, 1986. "Life Cycle, Individual Thrift, and the Wealth of Nations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(3), pages 297-313, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. B. Douglas Bernheim, 1992. "How Strong are Bequest Motives? Evidence Based on Estimates of the Demand for Life Insurance and Annuities," NBER Working Papers 2942, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  17. B. Douglas Bernheim & John Karl Scholz, 1992. "Private Saving and Public Policy," NBER Working Papers 4215, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Louise Sheiner & David N. Weil, 1992. "The Housing Wealth of the Aged," NBER Working Papers 4115, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Hurd, Michael D, 1987. "Savings of the Elderly and Desired Bequests," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 77(3), pages 298-312, June.
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  21. Thaler, Richard H, 1994. "Psychology and Savings Policies," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(2), pages 186-92, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Lawrence D. Jones, 1996. "Housing Tenure Transition and Dissaving by the Elderly," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 29(s1), pages 505-09, April.
  23. Benjamin M. Friedman & Mark Warshawsky, 1988. "Annuity Prices and Saving Behavior in the United States," NBER Working Papers 1683, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  24. Orazio P. Attanasio & Hilary W. Hoynes, 1995. "Differential Mortality and Wealth Accumulation," NBER Working Papers 5126, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  25. Mirer, Thad W., 1992. "Life-cycle valuation of social security and pension wealth," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 377-384, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  26. Diamond, P. A. & Hausman, J. A., 1984. "Individual retirement and savings behavior," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(1-2), pages 81-114. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  27. Mirer, Thad W, 1994. "The Dissaving of Annuity Wealth and Marketable Wealth in Retirement," Review of Income and Wealth, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 40(1), pages 87-97, March.
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Alfonso R Sánchez-Martín, 2008. "Endogenous Retirement and Public Pension System Reform in Spain," Working Papers 08.06, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Departamento de Economía. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Sergi Jiménez-Martín & Alfonso R. Sánchez, 2003. "An Evaluation of the Life-cycle Effects of Minimum Pensions on Retirement Behavior," Economics Working Papers 715, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Jun 2006. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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