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Do savings increase in response to salient information about retirement and expected pensions?

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  • Stichnoth, Holger
  • Dolls, Mathias
  • Dörrenberg, Philipp
  • Peichl, Andreas

Abstract

How can retirement savings be increased? We explore a unique policy change in the context of the German pension system to study this question. In 2004, pension authorities started to send out annual letters providing information about the pension system and expected pension payments. Using German tax return data, we exploit two discontinuities in the age cutoffs of receiving such a letter to study their effects on private retirement savings.

Suggested Citation

  • Stichnoth, Holger & Dolls, Mathias & Dörrenberg, Philipp & Peichl, Andreas, 2017. "Do savings increase in response to salient information about retirement and expected pensions?," VfS Annual Conference 2017 (Vienna): Alternative Structures for Money and Banking 168099, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:vfsc17:168099
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Giesecke, Matthias & Yang, Guanzhong, 2018. "Are financial retirement incentives more effective if pension knowledge is high?," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(3), pages 278-315, July.
    2. Ihle, Dorothee, 2017. "Quantile treatment effects of Riester participation on wealth," CAWM Discussion Papers 96, University of Münster, Münster Center for Economic Policy (MEP).
    3. Blaufus, Kay & Milde, Michael, 2018. "Learning to save tax-efficiently: Tax misperceptions and the effect of informational tax nudges on retirement savings," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 225, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    4. Kochskämper, Susanna, 2018. "Stellungnahme zum Gesetzentwurf der Bundesregierung sowie dem Antrag der Abgeordneten Pia Zimmermann, Susanne Ferschl, Matthias W. Birkwald, weiterer Abgeordneter und der Fraktion DIE LINKE (BT-Drucks," IW-Reports 46/2018, Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft (IW) / German Economic Institute.
    5. Crusius, Tobias L. & von Werder, Marten, 2017. "The affluency to quit: How inheritances affect retirement plannings," Discussion Papers 2017/24, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    6. Dorothee Ihle, 2017. "Quantile Treatment Effects of Riester Participation on Wealth," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 954, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance

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