This paper analyzes the joy of giving bequest motive in which the utility obtained from leaving a bequest depends only on the size of the bequest. It exploits the fact that this formulation can be interpreted as a reduced form of an altruistic bequest motive to derive a relation between the...

This paper analyzes the joy of giving bequest motive in which the utility obtained from leaving a bequest depends only on the size of the bequest. It exploits the fact that this formulation can be interpreted as a reduced form of an altruistic bequest motive to derive a relation between the...

This paper presents a calculation of the time series of the after-tax rate of return to whole life insurancy. When compared to the after-tax return on an alternative portfolio of similar risk, more than 60%of the decline in life insurance savings (suitably defined) in the past two decades can be...

Tuition, in real terms and across American universities, has roughly tripled over the past four decades. Through a review of the literature and the collection of basic data, we find support for the theory that the increases in federal financial support (loans and grants) for students have led to...

This essay is a comprehensive and critical review of Thomas Piketty s Capital in the Twenty-First Century. It follows the flow of Piketty s argument carefully and literally and notes his many assertions that are unsupported or contradicted by economic logic and empirical evidence, particularly...