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Optimal Life-Cycle Investing with Flexible Labor Supply: A Welfare Analysis of Life-Cycle Funds

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  • Francisco J. Gomes
  • Laurence J. Kotlikoff
  • Luis M. Viceira

Abstract

We investigate optimal consumption, asset accumulation and portfolio decisions in a realistically calibrated life-cycle model with flexible labor supply. Our framework allows for wage rate uncertainly, variable labor supply, social security benefits and portfolio choice over safe bonds and risky equities. Our analysis reinforces prior findings that equities are the preferred asset for young households, with the optimal share of equities generally declining prior to retirement. However, variable labor materially alters pre-retirement portfolio choice by significantly raising optimal equity holdings. Using this model, we also investigate the welfare costs of constraining portfolio allocations over the life cycle to mimic popular default investment choices in defined-contribution pension plans, such as stable value funds, balanced funds, and life-cycle (or target date) funds. We find that life-cycle funds designed to match the risk tolerance and investment horizon of investors have small welfare costs. All other choices, including life-cycle funds which do not match investors' risk tolerance, can have substantial welfare costs.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 13966.

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Date of creation: Apr 2008
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:13966

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  1. Carroll, Christopher D, 1997. "Buffer-Stock Saving and the Life Cycle/Permanent Income Hypothesis," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 112(1), pages 1-55, February.
  2. Hamish Low, 2005. "Self-Insurance in a Life-Cycle Model of Labor Supply and Savings," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 8(4), pages 945-975, October.
  3. Eugene Fama & F. & Kenneth R. French, . "The Equity Premium."," CRSP working papers 522, Center for Research in Security Prices, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago.
  4. Zvi Bodie & Robert C. Merton & William F. Samuelson, 1992. "Labor Supply Flexibility and Portfolio Choice in a Life-Cycle Model," NBER Working Papers 3954, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  5. Bodie, Zvi & Detemple, Jerome B. & Otruba, Susanne & Walter, Stephan, 2004. "Optimal consumption-portfolio choices and retirement planning," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 1115-1148, March.
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Blog mentions

As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
  1. Optimal portfolios for retirement
    by Economic Logician in Economic Logic on 2008-08-12 07:39:00
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Cited by:
  1. Francisco J. Gomes & Laurence J. Kotlikoff & Luis M. Viceira, 2007. "The Excess Burden of Government Indecision," NBER Working Papers 12859, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  2. Juergen Jung, 2008. "The Timing of Redistribution," Caepr Working Papers 2008-015, Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research, Economics Department, Indiana University Bloomington.
  3. Vasily Kartashov & Raimond Maurer & Olivia S. Mitchell & Ralph Rogalla, 2011. "Lifecycle Portfolio Choice with Systematic Longevity Risk and Variable Investment-Linked Deferred Annuities," NBER Working Papers 17505, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  4. James B. Davies & Susanna Sandström & Anthony Shorrocks & Edward N. Wolff, 2011. "The Level and Distribution of Global Household Wealth," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 121(551), pages 223-254, March.
  5. Jingjing Chai & Raimond Maurer & Olivia S. Mitchell & Ralph Rogalla, 2011. "Lifecycle Impacts of the Financial and Economic Crisis on Household Optimal Consumption, Portfolio Choice, and Labor Supply," NBER Working Papers 17134, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  6. Solange Berstein & Olga Fuentes & Nicolás Torrealba, 2010. "In an Individually Funded Pension System: How Can Risks Be Mitigated?," Working Papers 36, Superintendencia de Pensiones, revised Feb 2010.
  7. Solange Berstein & Olga Fuentes & Nicolás Torrealba, 2011. "La Importancia de la Opción por Omisión en los Sistemas de Pensiones de Cuentas Individuales," Working Papers 44, Superintendencia de Pensiones, revised Jan 2011.
  8. Horneff, Wolfram & Maurer, Raimond & Rogalla, Ralph, 2010. "Dynamic portfolio choice with deferred annuities," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(11), pages 2652-2664, November.
  9. Polin, Veronica & Sartor, Nicola, 2009. "Family Intertemporal Fiscal Incidence: A new Methodology for Assessing Public Policies," MPRA Paper 25570, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  10. Solange Berstein & Olga Fuentes & Nicolás Torrealba, 2010. "Sistema de Pensiones de Capitalización Individual: ¿Cómo Mitigar Riesgos?," Working Papers 35, Superintendencia de Pensiones, revised Feb 2010.
  11. Blake, David & Wright, Douglas & Zhang, Yumeng, 2011. "Age dependent investing: Optimal funding and investment strategies in defined contribution pension plans when members are rational life cycle financial planners," MPRA Paper 34277, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  12. Mehlkopf, R.J., 2011. "Risk sharing with the unborn," Open Access publications from Tilburg University urn:nbn:nl:ui:12-4960700, Tilburg University.
  13. Hans Fehr, 2009. "Computable Stochastic Equilibrium Models and Their Use in Pension- and Ageing Research," De Economist, Springer, vol. 157(4), pages 359-416, December.

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