The gradual shift in responsibility for welfare provision, from the government to individuals, is making household saving and wealth holding a key policy concern. Yet remarkably little is known about how much households save or the forms in which they save.Unlike income or expenditure, there is...

Prices of real and financial assets fell substantially in the UK during 2008-09. The fourth wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) was in the field throughout this 'financial crisis'. We use these data and earlier ELSA waves first to document the effect of the crisis on the...

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the composition of household portfolios, using both aggregate and micro-data. Among the key findings are that: Most household wealth is held in the form of housing and pensions. Over time, there has been a shift away from housing towards financial...