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We measure the response of household spending to the economic stimulus payments (ESPs) disbursed in mid-2008, using special questions added to the Consumer Expenditure Survey and variation arising from the randomized timing of when the payments were disbursed. We find that, on average,...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10008788769
Borrowing decisions affect most households, with large stakes and implications for subfields as varied as macroeconomics and industrial organization. I review theoretical and empirical work on household debt: its prevalence, level, growth, and composition, as well as various measures of consumer...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10010951247
Tax-qualified retirement plans seek to promote saving for retirement, yet most employers permit pre- retirement access …
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10011262917
Over three-quarters of US taxpayers receive income tax refunds, indicating tax prepayments above the level of tax liability. This amounts to a zero interest loan to the government. Previous studies have suggested two main explanations for this behavior: precautionary behavior in light of tax...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10008624608
One suggested hypothesis for the dramatic rise in household borrowing that preceded the financial crisis is that low-income households increased their demand for credit to finance higher consumption expenditures in order to "keep up" with higher-income households. Using household level data on...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10010950670
This paper discusses three alternative assumptions concerning household preferences (altruism, self-interest, and a desire for dynasty building) and shows that these assumptions have very different implications for bequest motives and bequest division. After reviewing some of the literature on...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10010951187
The old age provisions of the Medicaid program were designed to insure poor retirees against medical expenses. However, it is the rich who are most likely to live long and face expensive medical conditions when very old. We estimate a rich structural model of savings and endogenous medical...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10010951223
This paper provides two main contributions. First, it provides a new theory of wealth inequality that merges two forces generating inequality: bequest motives and inheritance of ability across generations; and an earnings process that allows for more earnings risk for the richest. Second, it...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10011213895
In the data, wealth is very unequally distributed, even more so than labor earnings and income, and the saving rate of wealthy people is high. Many dynamic models used for quantitative policy evaluation imply that once households get rich, they dissave. As a result, these models generate too...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10011262924
This paper studies household financial choices: why are these decisions dependent on the education level of the household? A life cycle model is constructed to understand a rich set of facts about decisions of households with different levels of education attainment regarding stock market...
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10010729052