Life expectancy for Blacks is about 8 year shorter than for Whites. A shorter life expectancy, in line with the theoretical prediction of a simple model, determines a much lower amount of savings and wealth accumulation and therefore a lower degree of insurance. This, in turn, contributes to...

We analyze the impact of credit default on individual trajectories. Using a proprietary dataset for the years 2004-2020, we find that after default individuals relocate to cheaper areas. Importantly, default has long-lasting negative effects on income, credit score, total credit limit, and...

With 20 years of PSID data, we document persistent racial differentials in life-cycle consumption dynamics. Starting from similar positions in the consumption distribution Blacks end up in lower percentiles than Whites. Education, income, and wealth are three key drivers of these different...