Using a large, representative sample of credit and debit card transactions in Singapore, this paper studies the consumption response of individuals whose same-building neighbors experienced personal bankruptcy. The unique bankruptcy rules in Singapore suggest liquidity shocks drive personal...

I examine the effect of mortgage debt on mobility. The Tax Reform Act, 1986 (TRA), which eliminated the tax deductibility of all personal loans except for mortgage interest payments, increased the after-tax cost of other personal loans, which presented homeowners with an incentive to increase...

This paper discusses three alternative assumptions concerning household preferences (altruism, self-interest, and a desire for dynasty building) and shows that these assumptions have very different implications for bequest motives and bequest division. After reviewing some of the literature on...

The balance sheet adjustment in the household sector was a prominent feature of the Great Recession that is widely believed to have held back the cyclical recovery of the US economy. A key question for the US outlook is therefore whether household deleveraging has ended or whether further...

Due to demographic change the replacement rates of the German statutory pension scheme will decrease over the next decades. Voluntary savings for retirement will therefore gain more and more relevance in order to maintain one's standard of living during retirement. This article examines the...

It is well established that consumption is “hump” shaped over an individual's lifecycle, peaking in middle age and then declining in the years that follow. Prior research has documented that consumption declines at retirement, which is inconsistent with the standard lifecycle model with...

In the last decade, the financial situation of pension funds, in Tunisia, worsened because of demographic and economic factors. These changes will make the solidarity between generations more difficult and will prompt the government to institute some reforms regulating basic pension. This...

Underinsurance and low financial literacy have been shown to be key issues impacting the effectiveness of personal financial management. Both issues are made more important by the complex financial system, an ever moving array of financial products and services, and the progressive move towards...

Many pension plan participants are inactive. They do not look up information on their retirement income and discover pension gaps too late to take action. We analyze how pension communication framing interventions motivate participants to acquire retirement income information. First, we show...