We investigate proprietary data from an Israeli insurance corporation, and exploit its special pricing feature which does not take health conditions (or smoking status) into account in its annuity pricing. We find, contrary to the theory suggesting that smokers have higher discount rates and to...

The need to ensure that people have adequate savings for retirement has prompted debate among regulators and academics. Certain countries have implemented or are considering implementing mandatory minimum annuity laws (e.g., Singapore and Israel), whereas others have repealed or are considering...

The need to ensure that people have adequate savings for retirement has prompted debate among regulators and academics. Certain countries have implemented or are considering implementing mandatory minimum annuity laws (e.g., Singapore and Israel), whereas others have repealed or are considering...

We investigate the possible consequences of having multiple savings accounts for payout decisions at retirement. Using proprietary data of 15,293 retirees’ annuitization decisions, we find that retirees with smaller accounts have significantly higher propensity to cash out their accounts upon...

This study examines the simultaneous impact of risk type and risk preferences on annuity demand. Through a quasi-experimental design that leverages individuals' reactions to their first malignant cancer diagnosis around retirement, we show that a 30% reduction in the present value of life...

In 2005, a drastic reform in the Israeli capital market shifted the power to choose savings vehicles from employers to individuals. Using a unique dataset from a large employer, this event provides us a rare window into individuals' savings decisions and the effect of their social environment....

There are two phenomena in behavioral finance and economics which are seemingly unrelated and have been studied separately; overconfidence and ambiguity aversion. In this paper we are trying to link these two phenomena providing a theoretical foundation supported by evidence from an experimental...