Languages differ widely in the ways they encode time. I test the hypothesis that languages that grammatically associate the future and the present, foster future-oriented behavior. This prediction arises naturally when well-documented effects of language structure are merged with models of...

This article reviews the research contributions of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College over its 10-year history and their implications for Social Security and retirement income policy in three major areas: (1) Social Security's long-term financing shortfall, (2) the adequacy of...

Are retirement savings sufficient to finance a good pension income? This highly uncertain and subjective dimension of life cycle decision making is assessed among married working individuals using an identical survey distributed to Dutch and American workers in 2007. Despite marked differences...

We conduct a randomized controlled trial to understand how a web-based retirement saving calculator affects workers' retirement-savings decisions. In both conditions, the calculator projects workers' retirement income goals. In the treatment condition, it also projects retirement income based on...

Households will have to increase their retirement-related assets to face the consequences of pension reforms and/or increasing longevity. Thus, improving retirement planning seems then to be necessary. However, the literature reports a general lack of awareness and understanding of the pension...

Recently, many papers show evidence of a positive association between financial literacy and wealth holdings. It is often claimed that individuals with a higher level of financial literacy display a higher propensity to plan for retirement. In their planning process, individuals seek to achieve...

We investigate retirement saving decisions through interviews and a broad survey in four countries that investigates what influences changes in savings behaviour. We identify a number of previously unidentified factors that are associated with increased savings. We find that approximately 40% of...

This study examines household portfolio choice through the retirement transition. I show that couples significantly decrease their stock allocations after retirement, whereas singles' allocations remain relatively unchanged. Reallocations are concentrated among couples in which the wife is more...

The contention that consumers systematically “undersave” for retirement is a frequent example provided by adherents to behavioral economics and behavioral law and economics to purportedly illustrate their theories. Although frequently asserted, the claim that people systematically undersave...

This paper analyzes the impacts of financial literacy on pension planning in Austria and Switzerland. Based on survey data of 442 individuals, we explain the pension planning behavior by the level of financial literacy as well as other relevant person- and country-specific characteristics...