Using a unique, detailed panel dataset of lodging properties, this paper tests whether properties owned by Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) perform differently than other properties and whether the concentration of real estate ownership brought about by REITs has increased market power. Our...

Using panel data from the Internal Revenue Service's Statistics of Income (SOI) Division, we find that most individuals do not experience a reduction in inflation-adjusted spendable income after claiming Social Security. We also examine the composition of income after claiming and find that both...

Rising home prices and generally falling interest rates in recent years, together with a desire to convert the accumulated equity in their homes into spendable funds, have prompted many homeowners to refinance their mortgages. In the spring of 1999, the Federal Reserve surveyed consumers to...

Even though they have only existed since 1981, some analysts have concluded that 401(k) plans are a failure. For example, some argue that 401(k) plans are “coming up short” due to, among other factors, the low contribution rates of participants. A recent government report concluded that...

This paper compares measures of 2010 annual income from the Current Population Survey (CPS) with those derived from IRS Statistics of Income Division (SOI) administrative tax data and finds that the CPS vastly understates the income of the elderly. We focus on four types of income found to be...