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Defined Contribution Plans and the Challenge of Financial Illiteracy
June 13, 2019Abstract: Retirement investing in the United States has changed dramatically. The classic defined-benefit (DB) plan has largely been replaced by the defined-contribution (DC) plan. With the latter, individual employees’ decisions about how much to save for retirement and how to… Read More »
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Debt and Financial Vulnerability on the Verge of Retirement
June 30, 2017Abstract: We analyze older individuals’ debt and financial vulnerability using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the National Financial Capability Study (NFCS). Specifically, in the HRS we examine three different cohorts (individuals age 56–61) in 1992, 2004,… Read More »
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FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE AND 401(K) INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE: A CASE STUDY
December 01, 2015Abstract: We explore whether investors who are more financially knowledgeable earn more on their retirement plan investments compared to their less sophisticated counterparts, using a unique new dataset linking administrative data on investment performance and financial knowledge. Results show that the… Read More »
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Financial Knowledge and 401(k) Investment Performance: A Case Study
June 22, 2015Abstract: We explore whether investors who are more financially knowledgeable earn more on their retirement plan investments compared to their less sophisticated counterparts, using a unique new dataset linking administrative data on investment performance and financial knowledge. Results show that the… Read More »
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FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE AND 401(K) INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE
December 17, 2014Abstract: Using a unique new data set linking administrative data on investment performance and financial knowledge, we examine whether investors who are more financially knowledgeable earn more on their retirement plan investments, compared to their less sophisticated counterparts. We find that… Read More »
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It Pays to Set the Menu: Mutual Fund Investment Options in 401(K) Plans
December 04, 2014Watch the video.
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FINANCIAL SOPHISTICATION IN THE OLDER POPULATION
October 01, 2014Abstract: This paper examines data on financial sophistication among the U.S. older population, using a special-purpose module implemented in the Health and Retirement Study. We show that financial sophistication is deficient for older respondents (aged 55+). Specifically, many in this… Read More »
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DEBT AND DEBT MANAGEMENT AMONG OLDER ADULTS
September 01, 2013Abstract: Many individuals lack the financial know-how to manage the complex new financial products increasingly available in the financial marketplace. How people borrow and manage debt has become of increasing policy maker concern, given recent evidence on Americans’ over-indebtedness. As… Read More »