We explore the workings of the German private annuity market to evaluate whether annuities are delivering an adequate value for money by measuring their money's worth. We examine key features of the German private annuity market and give a comprehensive description of the main product groups,...

This chapter documents the substantial decline in traditional sources of longevity insurance, and shows that published statistics on the individual annuity market greatly overstate its size and growth. It considers whether the decline in annuitization rates is cause for concern. It then...

This chapter analyzes the structure of demand for retirement products in Sweden using both aggregate and individual data. We show that all occupational groups except white collar workers are more likely to choose a 5-year withdrawal rather than a life annuity, as are women and those with less...

One of the most interesting features of the Chilean pension system is that approximately two-thirds of all retirees purchase annuities, resulting in annuitization rates much higher than in other countries. In this paper we review recent developments in the payout market for Chilean pensions,...

This paper studies the effect of demographic change on national saving, global interest rates, and international capital flows, focusing on the role of the public pension system. We develop a small open economy overlapping generations model to illustrate the channels through which demographic...