Draft
Household Retirement Savings: Are Spouses Saving Together?
Feb 3, 2017
Improving Financial Decisionmaking
Through our Center for Financial and Economic Decisionmaking (CFED), RAND researchers study how individuals and families make financial decisions and examine how public policy can be leveraged to help improve financial stability.
Improving Financial Decisionmaking Related to Retirement
The decrease in defined benefit pension plans use, coupled with an increase in the life span, is shaping how individuals plan financially for their retirement. CFED researchers investigate how households save for retirement, invest their savings, and spend down their assets in retirement.
Building Financial Health amongst the Economically Vulnerable
CFED researchers design, implement, and evaluate interventions targeted at helping individuals build savings, improve credit, reduce debt, and strengthen financial literacy and capability.
Bringing Together Government Policymakers, Academia, and Industry
The RAND Behavioral Finance Forum is an annual conference and webinar series for federal government, academic, and industry leaders on behavioral finance topics such as retirement security, consumer financial protection, and financial advice.
Featured Research
Recent Publications
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Saving Regret and Procrastination November 23, 2022
Saving regret, or the wish in hindsight to have saved more earlier in life, is widespread in older populations. Little of the variation is explained by procrastination and psychological factors. Unemployment, health, and divorce are larger factors.
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Credit Building or Credit Crumbling? A Credit Builder Loan's Effects on Consumer Behavior and Market Efficiency in the United States September 29, 2022
We use a randomized encouragement design and predictive modeling to examine impacts of a credit-builder loan (CBL) on borrowers, providers, and credit market information.
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RAND HRS Longitudinal File 2018 (V2) Documentation: Includes 1992-2018 (Final Release) August 9, 2022
The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a longitudinal household survey that facilitates research into different aspects of population aging in the United States. The RAND HRS Longitudinal File is a cleaned, easy-to-use, and streamlined data product containing information from the HRS, including variables on demographics, health and insurance, Social Security, pensions, family structure, retirement plans, expectations, and employment history.
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Pathways to Retirement Among Dual Earning Couples April 21, 2022
This paper examines the transition from full-time work to fully retired among dual earning couples, which we call joint retirement trajectories. We analyze 12 waves of the Health and Retirement Study to map out the distribution of potential pathways that couples undertake when retiring.
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Workplace financial wellbeing interventions for young workers: A review of the evidence and analysis of Britain's Healthiest Workplace (BHW) and Asia's Healthiest Workplace (AHW) surveys March 8, 2021
This study explores the impact of workplace financial wellbeing interventions (WFWI) on the mental health of young workers, through analysis of Britain and Asia's Healthiest Workplace survey data and a literature review. Findings suggest that WFWI are a potentially promising approach, but there is a pressing need for further evidence. Employees should consider implementing WFWI and we provide recommendations to support this process.
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Workplace financial wellbeing interventions and the mental health of young workers March 8, 2021
In this study we explore the likely and proven impact of workplace financial wellbeing interventions on the mental health of young workers, through analysis of Britain and Asia's Healthiest Workplace survey data and a literature review.
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How Did the Reintroduction of the Social Security Statement Change Workers' Expectations and Plans? March 3, 2021
This study fielded a survey in RAND's American Life Panel, coinciding with the partial reintroduction of the Social Security Statement. The findings indicate that regular mailings can play a role in shaping workers' retirement plans.
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Financial Literacy and Financial Decision-Making at Older Ages February 9, 2021
This paper examines how financial literacy is associated with three types of financial decisions pertinent to older individuals: adherence to timely credit card repayment, stock market participation, and risk diversification of household assets.
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RAND Behavioral Finance Forum: Financial Security Over the Lifespan February 2, 2021
The RAND Behavioral Finance Forum conference, held in partnership with AARP, was presented virtually in 2020. Leaders from academia, government, regulatory agencies, and industry were invited to share the latest research and exchange ideas on how to leverage behavioral principles to promote financial well-being, broadly conceived. The 2020 theme was "financial security over the lifespan."
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Heading into the Holidays, Americans' Financial Difficulties Continue December 17, 2020
In this report, the authors describe results from several waves of a survey fielded through the RAND Corporation's American Life Panel to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on households' financial well-being. The authors find that the share of households experiencing difficulty with paying bills has increased throughout the pandemic. Those who experience difficulties are more likely to turn to informal methods to fund expenditures.
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Effect of Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease on Household Financial Outcomes March 10, 2020
Our goal in this study is estimate, on net, the financial effects of early-stage Alzheimer's Disease, from the start of first symptoms to diagnosis, on individuals and their families.
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Retirement Security and Financial Decision Making January 2, 2020
Identifies key decisions prior to retirement that may be correlated with insecurity in later years and populations who may benefit most from targeted information.