I argue that the offsetting effect of social security contributions on household retirement saving depends on how closely the social security programme imitates a private retirement saving plan (i.e. the ?actuarial? component of the social security programme) – the closer the design of the...

Faced with ageing populations, OECD governments are seeking policies to increase individual retirement saving. In April 2001, the UK government introduced Stakeholder Pensions – a low cost retirement saving vehicle. The reform also changed the structure of tax-relieved contribution ceilings,...

Retirement planning is often seen as a tool that may assist individuals to successfully accumulate retirement capital. However, the low level of ‘customization’ of the general information on retirement planning may prompt some individuals to oversimplify their approach to retirement savings...

This paper provides, for all OECD countries, an estimate of the net tax cost per currency unit of contribution to a tax-favoured retirement savings plan, using a present-value methodology. The latter takes into account the future flows of revenues foregone on accrued income and of revenues...

In 2009, Canada's federal government introduced a new saving instrument for individuals – the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA). This paper reviews the TFSA focusing on how it may benefit individuals at different income levels. To that end, the paper presents advantages and disadvantages of the...

In Canada, the increasing need for private pension savings, a high level of awareness of the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) program and yet relatively low and declining use of RRSPs may suggest that the core element of the RRSP program – the tax incentives – are no longer shaping...

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are an important collective force in the Canadian economy, however the visibility and economic power of small businesses suffer due to their size and frequent turnover. When it comes to the issue of businesses being subject to occupational fraud, the...

This Article explains how to create “survivor funds” — short-term investment funds that would pay more to those investors who live until the end of the fund's term than to those who die before then. For example, instead of just investing in a 10-year bond and dividing the proceeds among...

In 1982 Congress legislated a tax subsidy incentivizing the use of structured settlements. Since then the structured settlement has become a common conclusion for personal injury claims. Perhaps to the detriment of plaintiffs, it became clear early on that defendants and their liability insurers...

Structured settlements have been subsidized by federal, state, and local taxes for nearly three decades. The subsidy, which comes in the form of a tax exclusion that encourages personal injury claimants to forgo a lump sum settlement in favor of long-term periodic payments, is premised upon the...