This study uses data from the 2002 and 2004 Health and Retirement Study to investigate the impact that health problems have on the financial strain of older Americans. Two-stage probit models are estimated for a series of financial ratio guidelines that take into account household solvency,...

This paper reexamines the determinants of credit default swaps (CDS) spreads in the U.S., Europe, and Asia-Pacific markets with a new data set using linear regressions. These determinants are categorized into two groups: firm level and macroeconomic variables. We also include two non-traditional...

The empirical literature identifying gains from financial innovation to financial institution stockholders is sparse. The literature identifying financial firms’ contributions to stockholder value resulting from long term commitment to innovation is, to our knowledge, nonexistent. Several...

Because of the dynamic inconsistency problem in optimal policies of pay-as-you-go (PAYG) systems, parametric reforms tend to be unfair in terms of generational justice and could be inefficient in terms of optimal level of consumption. As long as there are adverse shocks, the planner has to...

Existing literature has focused attention on the impact of Basel I and similar capital requirement regulations on developed countries where such regulations were found to be effective in increasing capital ratios and reducing portfolio credit risk of commercial banks. In the present study, we...

We offer a novel explanation of underwriting volatility in propertyliability insurance markets in terms of private uncertainty over public regulatory policy. Underwriting involving random losses to policyholders is one source of risk to the equity value of insurance firms. Solvency regulations,...

Requiring taxes to be paid in domestic money provides a legal tender basis for money demand and hence to the development of a financial system. In emerging markets, the level of taxation is a positive factor boosting financial development. At higher tax rates, however, taxation provides an...

Approximately half of credit card holders in the United States regularly carry unpaid credit card debt. These so-called "revolvers" exhibit payment behavior that differs from the behavior of those who repay their entire credit card balance every month. So far there has been no empirical analysis...

This paper examines the distributional characteristics of parametric reforms carried out when a planner faces an unexpected adverse shock to the pay-as-you-go system. When transfers are used to balance the system, we show that, even if the planner chooses a Ponzi scheme in the face of permanent...

This study investigates the effectiveness of a newly developed personal financial management course at Indiana State University. Analysis of pre- and post-test data suggests that students enrolled in the course score higher on knowledge exams and exhibit more desirable financial behaviors at the...