Patterns of Consumption and Savings around Retirement

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The Wharton School::Wharton Pension Research Council::Wharton Pension Research Council Working Papers
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Discipline
Economics
Subject
retirement
spending
savings
consumer debt
consumption
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Copyright date
2024
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Author
Olafsson, Arna
Pagel, Michaela
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Abstract

This chapter analyzes how consumption, savings, and other positions on household balance sheets change around retirement. Four patterns stand out. First, many households have barely any savings and hold substantial amounts of consumer debt at the time of retirement. Second, consumption falls at retirement, possibly due to work-related expenses, bargain shopping, or because households face unexpected adverse shocks. Third, liquid savings increase at retirement. Fourth, wealth increases more over the course of retirement for the average household. We discuss why and how analyzing these patterns helps us to answer the ultimate question of whether households save enough for retirement.

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WP2024-21
Publication date
2024-10-03
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Comments
All findings, interpretations, and conclusions of this paper represent the views of the authors and does not represent official views of the above-named institutions. © 2024 Pension Research Council of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.
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