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Mortality Heterogeneity and The Distributional Consequences of Mandatory Annuitization

Author

Listed:
  • Guan Gong
  • Anthony Webb

    (Center for Retirement Research, Boston College)

Abstract

Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we calculate the relationship between socio-economic status and a utility based measure of annuity value. We find considerable variation between groups once we take account of not only socio-economic differences in mortality, but also pre-annuitized wealth and longevity risk pooling in marriage. Using HRS data on subjective survival probabilities, we then construct a subjective life table for each individual in the HRS. We show that these tables vary appropriately between groups and aggregate closely to group level averages. We calculate the value each household would place on annuitization, based on the husband and wife's subjective life tables, and the household's degree of risk-aversion and proportion of pre-annuitized wealth. A significant minority would perceive themselves as suffering a net loss from mandatory annuitization.

Suggested Citation

  • Guan Gong & Anthony Webb, 2006. "Mortality Heterogeneity and The Distributional Consequences of Mandatory Annuitization," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College wp2006-11, Center for Retirement Research.
  • Handle: RePEc:crr:crrwps:wp2006-11
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    Cited by:

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    3. Gong, Guan & Webb, Anthony, 2010. "Evaluating the Advanced Life Deferred Annuity -- An annuity people might actually buy," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 210-221, February.
    4. Robert S. Gazzale & Lina Walker, 2009. "Behavioral Biases in Annuity Choice: An Experiment," Department of Economics Working Papers 2009-01, Department of Economics, Williams College.
    5. Pietrzyk Radosław & Rokita Paweł, 2015. "Stochastic Goals in Financial Planning for a Two-Person Household," Statistics in Transition New Series, Polish Statistical Association, vol. 16(1), pages 111-136, March.
    6. Robert Gazzale & Julian Jamison & Alexander Karlan & Dean Karlan, 2013. "Ambiguous Solicitation: Ambiguous Prescription," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(1), pages 1002-1011, January.
    7. Kulcsár László & Brown David, 2009. "Public Perceptions of Population Changes in Hungary," Eastern European Countryside, Sciendo, vol. 15(2009), pages 23-36, January.
    8. Roozbeh Hosseini, 2015. "Adverse Selection in the Annuity Market and the Role for Social Security," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 123(4), pages 941-984.
    9. Radosław Pietrzyk & Paweł Rokita, 2015. "Stochastic Goals In Financial Planning For A Two-Person Household," Statistics in Transition New Series, Polish Statistical Association, vol. 16(1), pages 111-136, March.
    10. Yang, Jaehwan & Yuh, Yoonkyung, 2019. "Reverse Mortgages for Managing Longevity Risk in Korea," Hitotsubashi Journal of Economics, Hitotsubashi University, vol. 60(1), pages 21-40, June.
    11. Yuh, Yoonkyung & Yang, Jaehwan, 2011. "The Valuation and Redistribution Effect of the Korea National Pension," Hitotsubashi Journal of Economics, Hitotsubashi University, vol. 52(1), pages 113-142, June.
    12. Radosław Pietrzyk & Paweł Rokita, 2015. "Stochastic goals in financial planning for a two-person household," Statistics in Transition new series, Główny Urząd Statystyczny (Polska), vol. 16(1), pages 111-136, May.
    13. Hans Fehr & Christian Habermann, 2010. "Private retirement savings and mandatory annuitization," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 17(6), pages 640-661, December.

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