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Consumption over the Life Cycle: Facts from Consumer Expenditure Survey Data

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Author Info
Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde
Dirk Krueger

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Abstract

This paper uses a seminonparametric model and Consumer Expenditure Survey data to estimate life cycle profiles of consumption, controlling for demographics, cohort and time e.ects. In addition to documenting profiles for total and nondurable consumption, we devote special attention to the age expenditure pattern for consumer durables. We find hump-shaped paths over the life cycle for total, for nondurable and for durable expenditures. Changes in household size account for roughly half of these humps. The other half remains unaccounted for by the standard complete markets life cycle model. Our results imply that households do not smooth consumption over their lifetimes. This is especially true for services from consumer durables. Bootstrap simulations suggest that our empirical estimates are tight and sensitivity analysis indicates that the computed profiles are robust to a large number of different specifications.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 9382.

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Date of creation: Dec 2002
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:9382

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
D91 - Microeconomics - - Intertemporal Choice and Growth - - - Intertemporal Consumer Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving

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References listed on IDEAS
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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. Lina Walker, 2004. "Elderly Households and Housing Wealth: Do They Use It or Lose It?," Working Papers wp070, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center. [Downloadable!]
  2. Gary D. Hansen, . "Consumption over the Life Cycle: The Role of Annuities (with Selo Imrohoroglu)," UCLA Economics Online Papers 417, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Jonathan D. Fisher & David S. Johnson, 2006. "Consumption Mobility in the United States: Evidence from Two Panel Data Sets," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, Berkeley Electronic Press, vol. 0(1). [Downloadable!]
  4. Fatih Guvenen, 2005. "Learning Your Earning: Are Labor Income Shocks Really Very Persistent?," Macroeconomics 0507004, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Michael Hurd & Susann Rohwedder, 2006. "Consumption and Economic Well-Being at Older Ages: Income- and Consumption-Based Poverty Measures in the HRS," Working Papers wp110, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center. [Downloadable!]
  6. Antonia Diaz & Maria Jose Luengo Prado, 2008. "On the User Cost and Homeownership," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 11(3), pages 584-613, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Kevin X.D. Huang & Zheng Liu & Qi Zhu, 2005. "Temptation and Self-Control: Some Evidence from the Consumer Expenditure Survey," Emory Economics 0507, Department of Economics, Emory University (Atlanta). [Downloadable!]
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  8. Binswanger, J., 2008. "Towards Understanding Life Cycle Saving Of Boundedly Rational Agents: A Model With Feasibility Goals," Discussion Paper 2008-14, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
  9. George M. Constantinides & John B. Donaldson & Rajnish Mehra, 2005. "Junior is Rich: Bequests as Consumption," NBER Working Papers 11122, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  10. Casey B. Mulligan & Xavier Sala-i-Martin, 2004. "Internationally Common Features of Public Old-Age Pensions, and Their Implications for Models of the Public Sector," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, Berkeley Electronic Press, vol. 0(1). [Downloadable!]
  11. Frank Caliendo & David Aadland, 2004. "Short-term planning and the life-cycle consumption puzzle," Microeconomics 0404003, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
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  12. François Ortalo-Magné & Sven Rady, 2005. "Housing Market Dynamics: On the Contribution of Income Shocks and Credit Constraint," Discussion Papers 50, SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich. [Downloadable!]
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  13. Telyukova, Irina A., 2009. "Household Need for Liquidity and the Credit Card Debt Puzzle," MPRA Paper 6674, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
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  14. Gary D. Hansen & Selahattin Imrohoroglu, 2006. "Consumption Over the Life Cycle: The Role of Annuities," NBER Working Papers 12341, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  15. Ortalo-Magné, François & Rady, Sven, 2005. "Housing Market Dynamics: On the Contribution of Income Shocks and Credit Constraints (Revised Version)," Discussion Papers in Economics 494, University of Munich, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  16. Michael D. Hurd & Susann Rohwedder, 2006. "Economic Well-Being at Older Ages: Income- and Consumption-Based Poverty Measures in the HRS," NBER Working Papers 12680, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
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