In this paper we consider a general consumption, portfolio and retirement optimization problem in which a working investor has borrowing constraints. Closed-form solutions are obtained for the utility maximization problems, and numerical procedures are given for the general utility function...

The rapid growth of the stock market since 1990 has encouraged the view that corporate equity holdings are becoming the primary asset for a broad spectrum of American households. A closer look at the evidence, however, reveals that real estate continues to eclipse stocks as a share of most...

This paper examines an unconventional, but potentially effective, new fiscal policy tool that can increase saving during good times and increase spending during bad times -- a cyclical matching rate on contributions to retirement savings accounts. The combination of matching rates and matching...

We characterize the optimal default fund in a defined contribution (DC) pension plan. Using detailed data on individuals' holdings inside and outside the pension system, we find substantial heterogeneity within and between passive and active investors in terms of labor income, financial wealth,...

We explicitly solve for the aggregate asset prices in a discrete-time general-equilibrium endowment economy with two agents who differ with respect to their preferences for risk aversion and sensitivity to habit, either internal or external. We compute equilibrium quantities -- equity premium,...

Home owners are about twice as likely as renters to participate in the stock market, both in the USA and Sweden. This paper sets up a life-cycle portfolio choice model which generates this pattern of limited stock market participation. Calibrated to Swedish data, the model generates the stock...

We characterize the optimal default fund in a defined contribution (DC) pension plan. Using detailed data on individuals and their holdings inside and outside the pension system, we find substantial heterogeneity among default investors in terms of labor income, financial wealth, and stock...

The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act had a profound impact on the demographic and skill composition of immigrants arriving in the U.S. A large literature has investigated the relative earnings of immigrants and natives, but much less is known about relative wealth accumulation and the...

This paper reports the results of a behavioural finance experiment on the ability of Thai individuals to make informed investment decisions under a defined contribution self-management option. Using an asset allocation dataset from members of the Thai Government Pension Fund (TGPF) and a control...

Previous writers have attempted to resolve the equity premium puzzle by employing a utility function that depends on current consumption minus (or relative to) past habit consumption. This paper points out that an individual's current utility may also depend upon how well off in the recent past...