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The Adequacy of Savings

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Author Info
Laurence J. Kotlikoff
Lawrence H. Summers

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Abstract

This paper uses newly available data from the Social Security Administration's Retirement History Survey to examine the adequacy of saving. This data source is particularly rich; survey data for respondents covering the ydars 1969, 197 1( and 1953 have been matched with Social Security earnings records covering the years dating back to 1951. In addition to information on the path of lifetime earnhngs, the survey contains extensive data on individual asset holdings. The evidence indicates that surprisingly few couples currantly suffer significant reductions in their standard of living in their old age. This appears due, in large part, to our compulsory savings institutions, the Social Security and private pension systems. These institutions have succeeded in redistributing the lifetime consumption of private individuals from their youth to their old age.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 0627.

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Date of creation: Feb 1981
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:0627

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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. Diamond, P. A., 1977. "A framework for social security analysis," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 275-298, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Feldstein, Martin S, 1974. "Social Security, Induced Retirement, and Aggregate Capital Accumulation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 82(5), pages 905-26, Sept./Oct. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Kotlikoff, Laurence J, 1979. "Testing the Theory of Social Security and Life Cycle Accumulation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 69(3), pages 396-410, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
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  1. Alan J. Auerbach & Laurence J. Kotlikoff, 1987. "Life Insurance of the Elderly: Adequacy and Determinants," NBER Working Papers 1737, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Midori Wakabayashi, 2008. "The retirement consumption puzzle in Japan," Journal of Population Economics, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 983-1005, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Alicia H. Munnell & Anthony Webb & Francesca Golub-Sass, 2007. "Is There Really a Retirement Savings Crisis? An NRRI Analysis," Issues in Brief ib2007-7-11, Center for Retirement Research, revised Aug 2007. [Downloadable!]
  4. Daniel S. Hamermesh, 1984. "Consumption During Retirement: The Missing Link in the Life Cycle," NBER Working Papers 0930, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Aydogan Ulker, 2004. "Consumption Patterns around the Time of Retirement: Evidence from the Consumer Expenditure Surveys," Econometric Society 2004 Australasian Meetings 54, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
  6. Ayse Imrohoroglu & Selahattin Imrohoroglu & Douglas H. Joines, 2000. "Time inconsistent preferences and Social Security," Discussion Paper / Institute for Empirical Macroeconomics 136, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. T. Findley & Frank Caliendo, 2008. "The behavioral justification for public pensions: a survey," Journal of Economics and Finance, Springer, vol. 32(4), pages 409-425, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Michael D. Hurd, 1990. "Issues and Results from Research on the Elderly I: Economic Status (Part I of III Parts)," NBER Working Papers 3018, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Andrew Au & Olivia S. Mitchell & John W.R. Phillips, 2005. "Saving Shortfalls and Delayed Retirement," Working Papers wp094, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center. [Downloadable!]
  10. Michael J. Boskin & John B. Shoven, 1987. "Concepts and Measures of Earnings Replacement During Retirement," NBER Working Papers 1360, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. John Karl Scholz & Ananth Seshadri & Surachai Khitatrakun, 2004. "Are Americans Saving "Optimally" for Retirement?," NBER Working Papers 10260, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  12. Lopez, Fernando Lera, 1999. "Recent decline in family savings rate: possible Explanations," ERSA conference papers ersa99pa098, European Regional Science Association. [Downloadable!]
  13. Agar Brugiavini, 2002. "Savings: The Policy Debate in Europe," MEA discussion paper series 02018, Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA), University of Mannheim. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  14. Louis Kaplow, 2006. "Myopia and the Effects of Social Security and Capital Taxation on Labor Supply," NBER Working Papers 12452, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. James Banks & Carl Emmerson, 2000. "Public and private pension spending: principles, practice and the need for reform," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 21(1), pages 1-63, March. [Downloadable!]
  16. David E. Bloom & David Canning & Michael Moore, 2007. "A Theory of Retirement," NBER Working Papers 13630, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  17. Eric M. Engen & William G. Gale & Cori Uccello, 2004. "Lifetime Earnings, Social Security Benefits, And The Adequacy Of Retirement Wealth Accumulation," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College 2004-10, Center for Retirement Research. [Downloadable!]
  18. B. Douglas Bernheim & Jonathan Skinner & Steven Weinberg, 2001. "What Accounts for the Variation in Retirement Wealth among U.S. Households?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(4), pages 832-857, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  19. Olivia S. Mitchell, 1990. "The Effects of Mandating Benefits Packages," NBER Working Papers 3260, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Daniel S. Hamermesh, 1985. "Expectations, Life Expectancy, and Economic Behavior," NBER Working Papers 0835, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  21. Martin Feldstein, 1989. "Should Social Security Be Means Tested?," NBER Working Papers 1775, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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