New Evidence on the Money's Worth of Individual Annuities

TitleNew Evidence on the Money's Worth of Individual Annuities
Publication TypeReport
Year of Publication1997
AuthorsMitchell, OS, Poterba, JM, Warshawsky, MJ
Series TitleNBER Working Paper Series
Document Number6002
Pagination1-47
Date Published04/1997
InstitutionNational Bureau of Economic Research
CityCambridge, MA
KeywordsAnnuitization, Economics, Retirement Planning and Satisfaction
Abstract

This paper presents new information on the expected present discounted value of payouts on individual life annuities. The annuity we examine is the single premium immediate life annuity, an insurance product that pays out a nominal level sum as long as the covered person lives, in exchange for an initial lump-sum premium. This annuity offers protection against the risk of someone outliving his saving, given uncertainty about longevity. For reasonable estimates of behavioral parameters, we calculate that individual annuities are currently priced so that retirees without bequest motives should find these policies of substantial value in configuring their portfolios to smooth retirement consumption. We also find that the expected present discounted value of payouts, relative to the initial cost of the annuity, has increased over the last decade. These findings bear on the policy debate regarding the role of individual choice and self-reliance in retirement planning.

URLhttp://www.nber.org/papers/w6002.pdf
DOI10.3386/w6002
Citation Key8647