In this paper, we first provide a brief exposition of the simplest version of the selfish life cycle model or hypothesis, which is undoubtedly the most widely used theoretical model of household behavior in economics, and then survey the literature on household saving behavior in Japan (with...

In this paper, we analyze the borrowing behavior of Japanese households in comparison to the other Group of Seven (G7) countries and also broken down by the age group of the household head. We find that pre-retirement households (households with a head in the 50-59 age group) in Japan do not...

Households over age 60 own half of the discretionary investment assets in the United States and are increasingly responsible for generating income from these investments to fund retirement. Studies in cognitive aging show that older respondents experience a decline in cognitive processes closely...

We review the evidence on decision making in complex choice situations—i.e., situations where there are many alternatives and/or where attributes of alternatives are difficult to understand. We focus on choices about health insurance, health care, and retirement planning, all of which are very...

Past research on the topic of sustainable withdrawal rates has primarily focused on longer distribution periods which apply to younger age retirees.A structural problem with pensions, annuities, and first generation "safe withdrawal rate" is a disconnect of benefits paid (fixed or fixed with...

This paper develops a life-cycle utility model of the preferences of retirees, with joint consideration of bequest motive, housing decision and public pension. The model parameters are calibrated to the ABS data of Household Expenditure Survey and Survey of Income and Housing. The calibrated...

In this paper, I summarize Albert Ando's seminal and ingenious work on the saving behavior of the elderly in Japan and then present some pertinent data and evidence that became available only after Ando did his work in this area. I conclude that the retired elderly in Japan dissave, in...

The downward trend in replacement rate is going to affect the material wellbeing of Polish future retirees. The aim of this paper is to identify the pension strategies working Poles undertake to counteract future deterioration in material conditions, with particular interest in saving practices...

We analyze the impact of population aging on Japan’s household saving rate and on its public pension system and the impact of that system on Japan’s household saving rate and obtain the following results: first, the age structure of Japan’s population can explain the level of, and past and...