Working Papers

Wharton Pension Research Council Working Papers

• Saving and Attitudes to the Future
  How are variations in inter-temporal preferences or planning behavior linked to inequality among households in long-term outcomes, such as savings, marriage or health? We use a simple regression method to develop an index of "future-orientedness" based on how an individual’s reported attitudes in the 1970s predict wealth many years later. Our results suggest that variation […]
• A Closer Look at Fringe Benefits for Faculty
  Despite the magnitude and variety of benefits paid to faculty, there has been little attention given to these benefits. It is important to evaluate how and why faculty benefits vary by institution. In this study, I focused on the levels of benefits provided by four-year institutions to faculty. The study relied on institution-level data from […]
• Saving and Wealth Accumulation among Student Loan Borrowers: Implications for Retirement Preparedness
  Borrowing for education has increased rapidly in the past several decades, such that the majority of non-housing debt on US households’ balance sheets is now student loan debt. This paper analyzes the implications of student loan borrowing for later-life economic well-being, with a focus on retirement preparation. We demonstrate that families holding student loan debt […]
• Retirement Security and Health Costs
  Health care spending has increased faster than incomes for decades, but the pace slowed materially after the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Using data from various waves of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey we examine what has happened to out-of-pocket health care spending by different income groups of the elderly over time, and […]
• Recessions and Retirement: New Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic
  The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the US labor market, leading to an unprecedented loss of 22 million jobs in March and April 2020. Evidence from past recessions indicates that economic downturns are typically associated with an increase in retirements. In this study, we revisit the relationship between recessions and retirement in the COVID-19 era, using data […]