We introduce intergenerational transfers into a general equilihrium life-cycle model in order to explain observed levels of wealth heterogeneity. In our overlapping generations model, heterogenous agents face uncertain lifetime and leave both accidental and voluntary bequests to their cinldren....

Modeling the Distribution and Intergenerational Transmission of Wealth; Contents; Introduction; 1. Long-Term Trends in American Wealth Inequality; 2. The Wealth of Testators and Its Distribution: Butler County, Ohio, 1803-65; 3. The Perpetuation of Wealth: A Simulation Model; 4. The Importance of...