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Financial Literacy and Financial Behavior at Older Ages
July 29, 2021Abstract: Recent research has documented that people are increasingly entering old age holding more debt than ever before, and having done little or no retirement planning. This paper examines some of the reasons why older peoples’ financial behaviors depart from… Read More »
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Debt Close to Retirement and its Implications for Retirement Well-Being
January 06, 2021Abstract: We analyze debt and debt management of Americans nearing retirement age, to document that older people have numerous financial obligations that can lead to financial distress. Using data from the 2015 National Financial Capability Study and drawing on an… Read More »
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Remaking Retirement: Debt in an Aging Economy
November 18, 2020Summary: Around the world, people nearing and entering retirement are holding ever-greater levels of debt than in the past. This is not a benign situation, as many pre-retirees and retirees are stressed about their indebtedness. Moreover, this growth in debt… Read More »
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Financial Fragility during the COVID-19 Pandemic
November 03, 2020Abstract: Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the US economy was closed to limit the virus’ spread, and several emergency interventions were implemented. Our analysis of older (45-75) respondents fielded in April-May of 2020 indicates that about one in… Read More »
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Debt and Financial Vulnerability on the Verge of Retirement
April 27, 2019Abstract : We analyze older individuals’ debt and financial vulnerability using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the National Financial Capability Study (NFCS). In the HRS, we compare three groups of people age 56-61 in 1992, 2004,… Read More »
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Financial Fraud among Older Americans: Evidence and Implications
December 14, 2018Abstract: Objectives: The consequences of poor financial capability at older ages are serious and include making mistakes with credit, spending retirement assets too quickly, and being defrauded by financial predators. Because older persons are at or past the peak of… Read More »
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The Changing Face of Debt and Financial Fragility at Older Ages
June 12, 2018Abstract: U.S. consumer credit and mortgage borrowing expanded rapidly prior to the 2008-9 financial crisis, allowing relatively unsophisticated consumers to decide how much they could afford to borrow. As a consequence, Americans today are more likely to enter retirement in debt… Read More »
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The Knowledge Gap in Workplace Retirement Investing and the Role of Professional Advisors
June 30, 2017Watch the video.
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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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Older Women’s Labor Market Attachment, Retirement Planning, and Household Debt
August 31, 2016Abstract: The goal of this paper is to ascertain whether older women’s current and anticipated future labor force patterns have changed over time, and if so, to evaluate the factors associated with longer work lives and plans to continue work at… Read More »
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Optimal Financial Knowledge and Wealth Inequality
December 01, 2015Abstract: We show that financial knowledge is a key determinant of wealth inequality in a stochastic lifecycle model with endogenous financial knowledge accumulation, where financial knowledge enables individuals to better allocate lifetime resources in a world of uncertainty and imperfect… 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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OPTIMAL FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE AND WEALTH INEQUALITY
December 17, 2014Abstract: Using a stochastic life cycle model with endogenous financial knowledge accumulation, we show that financial knowledge is a key determinant of wealth inequality. The mechanism we posit is that financial knowledge enables individuals to better allocate resources over their lifetimes… Read More »
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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 »