Recent work by a number of economists has opened a debate about the role played by intergenerational transfers. Using the new Health and Retirement Survey (HRS), we are better able to address the issues involved. Contrary to the current literature on bequests, we do not find that parents give...

Unstable couple relationships and high rates of re-partnering have increased the share of U.S. families with stepkin. Yet data on stepfamily structure are from earlier time periods, include only coresident stepkin, or cover only older adults. This paper uses new data on family structure and...