Tag: life expectancy

Senior black woman calculating her retirement annuity at home

Social Security’s design is known to help Black individuals and those with lower socioeconomic status due to the progressive benefit formula, but this effect is partially offset by the shorter life expectancies of these groups.  However, valuing Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) solely on expected benefits neglects the program’s longevity insurance value, which favors individuals…

Senior man in workshop sitting and thinking

Introduction  Since 1965, academics have argued that individuals should annuitize a large part of their wealth.  However, for nearly as long, studies have documented that annuitization rates fall far short of what seem to be optimal levels.  Researchers have proposed multiple explanations for this potentially sub-optimal outcome. This brief, based on a recent study, assesses…