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Why Do Retired Households Draw Down Their Wealth So Slowly?

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  • Eric French
  • John Bailey Jones
  • Rory McGee

Abstract

Retired households, especially those with high lifetime income, decumulate their wealth very slowly, and many die leaving large estates. The three leading explanations for the "retirement savings puzzle" are the desire to insure against uncertain lifespans and medical expenses, the desire to leave bequests to one's heirs, and the desire to remain in one's own home. We discuss the empirical strategies used to differentiate these motivations, most of which go beyond wealth to exploit additional features of the data. The literature suggests that all the motivations are present, but has yet to reach a consensus about their relative importance.

Suggested Citation

  • Eric French & John Bailey Jones & Rory McGee, 2023. "Why Do Retired Households Draw Down Their Wealth So Slowly?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 37(4), pages 91-114, Fall.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:jecper:v:37:y:2023:i:4:p:91-114
    DOI: 10.1257/jep.37.4.91
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies

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