Title | Intergenerational Transfers in the Health and Retirement Study Data |
Publication Type | Report |
Year of Publication | 2010 |
Authors | Laitner, J, Sonnega, A, Michigan Retirement Research Center |
Series Title | MRDRC Publications |
Document Number | WP 2010-238 |
Institution | Michigan Retirement and Disability Research Center, University of Michigan |
City | Ann Arbor, MI |
Keywords | Adult children, Event History/Life Cycle |
Abstract | Many economic analyses of public policy issues are based upon the life-cycle model of household behavior. The usual formulation omits private intergenerational transfers. This paper considers the possibility of a more sophisticated formulation that includes the latter. We examine 1992-2008 HRS data on inheritances and inter vivos gifts. We uncover an underreporting problem in the data: a household s financial respondent often seems to understate transfers from his/her in-laws. Nevertheless, other aspects of the data seem very useful. About 30-40 percent of households eventually inherit. Inheritances seem to reflect a mixture of intentional and accidental bequests, with the latter twice as prevalent. |
URL | https://mrdrc.isr.umich.edu/pubs/intergenerational-transfers-in-the-health-and-retirement-study-data-2/ |
Endnote Keywords | life-Cycle/household behavior/Transfers/Inheritance/Inter Vivos Transfers |
Endnote ID | 24310 |
Citation Key | 5800 |