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Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Barry Bosworth and Rosanna Smart explore the consequences of the housing price bubble and its collapse for the wealth of older households, utilizing micro survey data to follow the rise in home values to 2007 and observing which households enjoyed home price appreciation and how they responded in terms of equity withdrawal. The authors conclude that while older households mitigated their real estate and equity losses with relatively stable fixed-value assets and pension programs, they also lost much of their presumed gains relative to earlier cohorts, and they will have less time to recover.
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Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which protects the pensions of 44 million workers, announced a $22 billion deficit for fiscal year ending September 2009. Douglas Elliott analyzes the three main reasons for the PBGC’s financial troubles, and cautions that there are serious structural problems within PBGC that cannot be blamed on the financial crisis.
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Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT
The Senate is introducing legislation to reform the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which currently protects the pensions of nearly 44 million American workers and retirees. The PBGC is simply too large, complex, and important to maintain its current governance system, according to Douglas Elliott. With the PGBC chronically underfunded, and a deficit that could rise to $100 billion over time, Elliott says one useful step would be to increase the effectiveness of its Board of Directors, making it more in line with other public sector corporations.
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Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:15:42 GMT
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation ensures the retirement funds of nearly 44 million American workers and retirees, and now plans to assume responsibility for the pension plans of 70,000 GM workers. Lawmakers are concerned about PBGC's growing deficit, which has tripled to roughly $33.5 billion in six months. Douglas Elliott says they have good reason to be worried, given the current economy.
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Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- July 16, 2009, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
On July 16, the Retirement Security Project and the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center hosted Australian Assistant Treasurer Nick Sherry, to discuss the Superannuation Guarantee- Australia's mandatory retirement savings system- and its relevance to American policy-makers.
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Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Automatic argues for a fresh approach to increase saving, simplify retirement planning, and help manage the risks associated with today's individual account environment.
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Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s deficit tripled over the last six months and could top out at more than $100 billion. According to Douglas Elliott, this accelerated loss is the result of a combination of factors, including the PBGC’s inability—thanks to Congress—to charge premium rates that would cover its risk, and the investment and funding choices made by the companies that sponsor the pension plans insured by the PBGC. Is another massive bailout in store?
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Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT
General Motors has filed for bankruptcy, and one of many questions is what will happen to its pension promises, which are underfunded by $20 billion. Douglas Elliott says GM is very likely to continue to shoulder the full obligations after restructuring, rather than passing them to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and taxpayers—for now.
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Wed, 20 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT
As Chrysler and GM face bankruptcy proceedings and restructuring, the Senate held a hearing on whether the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) has the capacity to insure the pensions of nearly 44 million Americans who work or have worked at those firms. Douglas Elliott explores the particulars of the PBGC, the precarious situation that the automotive industry finds itself in, and offers 14 possible solutions to the problems that plague the government’s pension program.
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Fri, 15 May 2009 10:19:47 GMT
The latest report on the solvency of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds reveals that these entitlement programs will likely run out of money sooner than expected. Senior Fellow Henry Aaron assesses the future of these two programs.
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Mon, 04 May 2009 09:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- May 04, 2009, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
More low-income families now need assistance on how to find financial vehicles that will allow them to more effectively manage debt, savings and their financial lives. Brookings hosted a discussion on how recommendations from Insufficient Funds: Savings, Assets, Credit, and Banking among Low-Income Households—a new book edited by Rebecca M. Blank and Michael S. Barr—might be realized in this current economic environment.
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Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:50:00 GMT
Event Information:
- March 20, 2009, 8:50 AM to 04:30 PM
On March 20, the Brookings Institution; the Wharton School's Pension Research Council and Boettner Center; the University of Michigan Retirement Research Center; and The Retirement Security Project co-sponsored a conference on financial literacy and retirement preparedness. The keynote address was given by Michael Astrue, commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
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Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT
Despite criticism of the Social Security Act, and it's application to twenty fist century America, Henry Aaron believes that those views are wrong. In broad outline, he says, the system is sound, sensibly designed, and affordable though some changes are now desirable, and that others will, and should, be made as economic and political conditions warrant. But he urges, they should affirm and strengthen the system, not scale it back or repeal it.
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Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Innovative and sound tax policy may be one way out of our financial rut, argue Bill Gale and Ben Harris. An effective tax code can buoy an economic recovery; down the road, taxation can help achieve the Obama administration's goals in health care, in energy policy and, ultimately, for fiscal balance.
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Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT
While Social Security’s long-term problems represent a major policy challenge, the sharp fall in stock prices serves as a reminder that many substitutes for Social Security – such as individual retirement accounts -- have problems of their own. Gary Burtless analyzes how personal retirement savings accounts have performed historically, including over the past 12 months, and finds that retirement funds invested solely or mainly in the stock market offer a very shaky foundation for retirement income.
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Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT
In this paper, Jeffrey R. Brown, Jeffrey R. Kling, Sendhil Mullainathan, Garth R. Wiens and Marian V. Wrobel test the relative effectiveness of their two framing contexts for life annuities when different reference points are introduced, testing for loss aversion in both investment and consumption frames.
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Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT
In the midst of the financial chaos enveloping Wall Street and threatening the U.S. and global economy, Henry Aaron says it is worth a moment to recall the quite serious debate just three years ago about partly privatizing Social Security, a step that would have exposed retirement and disability pensions to risks like those now confronting private investors.
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Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- July 30, 2008, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
As baby-boomers begin to retire and health care spending continues to outpace income growth, Medicare faces a dire financial future and needs reform. To help guide the debate that will precede this reform, Henry Aaron and Jeanne Lambrew have written Reforming Medicare: Options, Tradeoffs, and Opportunities which outlines three broad approaches to reform. At this event, Aaron, Lambrew and other advocates discussed the three different reform strategies.
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Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Fully half of America’s working families lack any employer-sponsored retirement savings plan. Testifying before a Senate panel, J. Mark Iwry and David C. John called for a common strategy to preserve and expand retirement savings in a manner that transcends partisan differences, an approach that includes preserving employer-sponsored retirement plans and broadening participation and coverage options.
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Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT
J. Mark Iwry and David C. John propose an automatic IRA approach which offers most employees not covered by an employee-sponsored retirement plan the opportunity to save through the powerful mechanism of regular payroll deposits that continue automatically.
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Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Kent Weaver argues that a new approach to Social Security reform requires the president and congressional leaders to agree on an overall mandate for a commission named through a bipartisan nominating process designed to generate a group that is likely to focus on practical, consensus-building solutions. Special procedures in each house of Congress would provide expedited consideration of the commission’s reform package and alternatives, while providing incentives for constructive congressional engagement in the reform process.
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Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT
The next president and new Congress face a daunting set of challenges come January 2009: Iraq war, troubled economy, global climate change, looming government debt, taxes, health care reform and rebuilding infrastructure, all vying for immediate attention. Such a long "to do" list presents two possible tactics: tackle the hardest problem first or get the easy ones out of the way. Alice M. Rivlin and John W. Kingdon prefer the latter and would start with Social Security.
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Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- June 10, 2008, 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
The Retirement Security project hosted, “The Automatic Revolution: Changing How America Saves,” marking the 10th anniversary of the 1998 Treasury/IRS ruling that made automatic saving mechanisms possible. The conference was intended to highlight that decision, the dramatic changes that automatic plans have created since then, and the prospects for the future – for both automatic 401ks and automatic IRAs.
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Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Despite their many benefits, the take-up rate for annuities is currently low because of behavioral biases and market failures. In this paper, William Gale, J. Mark Iwry, David John and Lina Walker propose a two-year trial to allow retirees to experience the consistency, security, and simplicity of the lifetime income stream guaranteed by annuities.
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Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT
In this overview paper, Jason Furman examines reasons why markets that could reduce risks are missing and what the government can do to foster markets in these areas. He xplains that certain laws and regulations, market failures and behavioral biases of consumers act as barriers to market formation.
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Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:30:00 GMT
Event Information:
- June 05, 2008, 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Hurricanes, retirement, home-buying and tax-base erosion all pose financial risks. Yet markets to reduce these risks are elusive. The Hamilton Project at Brookings released papers at a discussion on how sound public policy can play a critical role in helping to foster new markets or expand existing markets in ways that could provide widely shared benefits.
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Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Stimulus checks are a bright note in this year’s tax season. But, William Gale asserts, the annual tax-filing ritual is otherwise complicated and outdated. He recommends that the presidential candidates advocate changes like streamlining tax incentives and allowing some taxpayers to pay without filing returns.
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Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Alan J. Auerbach, Jason Furman and William Gale discuss the most recent Congressional Budget Office baseline projection, and use it to examine the causes of the fiscal decline since 2000 and the medium- and longer-term fiscal outlook.
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Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT
Jeffrey Kling, Jeffrey Brown, Sendhil Mullainathan and Marian Wrobel explore the idea that people's aversion to annuities is not a fully rational phenomenon. They suggest that a psychologically richer model of consumer behavior can explain under-annuitization.
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Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT
Nearly half of American workers have no employer-sponsored saving plan. Mark Iwry testified before a congressional panel about a strategy to promote saving for families and the nation. "The Automatic IRA is a disarmingly simple concept," said Iwry.
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Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT
Henry Aaron raises questions about the health-care budget and finding solutions to this long term problem.
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Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT
President Bush made Social Security reform his top domestic priority in 2004. In this paper, Brookings's William Galston examines why the president's proposal failed and the politics of Social Security reform.
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Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT
The past 25 years have brought a dramatic shift in our nation's pension system away from defined benefit plans and toward defined contribution accounts, such as 401(k)s and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). But many of our public policies have not been updated to reflect the increased responsibility placed on workers to prepare for their own retirement. The next President can improve and strengthen retirement security substantially through a series of common-sense reforms that would make the defined contribution pension system easier to navigate and more rewarding for American families.
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Wed, 31 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by Jason Furman (1/31/07)
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Tue, 21 Nov 2006 10:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- November 21, 2006, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
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Wed, 01 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by Barry Bosworth and Gabriel Chodorow-Reich (November 2006)
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Fri, 01 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by Jacob Hacker (9/11/2006)
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Tue, 01 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT
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Tue, 01 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT
Policy Brief #156: Reforming Tax Incentives into Uniform Refundable Tax Credits; by Peter R. Orszag, Fred T. Goldberg, Jr., and Lily L. Batchelder
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Sun, 23 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT
Opinion by Isabel V. Sawhill, Kansas City Star (4/23/06)
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Thu, 06 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by Lael Brainard, Senate Committee on Finance (4/6/06)
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Wed, 05 Apr 2006 10:30:00 GMT
Event Information:
- April 05, 2006, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
With global competition increasing and wages stagnating, America's promise of providing an opportunity for every individual to lead a better life is in jeopardy. To restore this promise, a new economic policy project—backed by leaders from business, academia and public policy—was launched on April 5, 2006. The Hamilton Project is a unique initiative at the Brookings Institution designed to inject new policy options from leading economic thinkers across the country into the national economic debate.
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Sat, 01 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT
Hamilton Project Paper by William G. Gale, Jonathan Gruber, Peter R. Orszag (April 2006)
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Wed, 01 Mar 2006 00:00:00 GMT
In 1998, Sweden adopted a radical new approach to state-based pension provision, with several innovations. Many experts in the United States and elsewhere have been interested in Sweden's move toward mandatory individual accounts for retirement savings, with workers required to set-aside 2.5 percent of covered wages. For purposes of this brief, however, Sweden's novel approach to financing the much larger pay-as-you-go state pensions is of interest. The new Swedish pension system contains features that should achieve what the architects of the new system sought—guaranteed and permanent financial solvency at a fixed contribution rate of 16 percent of wages.
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Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT
This paper reviews competing explanations for the pattern of global imbalances and the magnitude of the U.S. external deficit. It argues that, far from being incompatible, existing explanations are all parts of the larger story.
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Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:00:00 GMT
The Evolving Pension System examines the foundations and the future of the private pension system. It provides a broad overview of the underlying assumptions, characteristics, and effects of existing pension policy, as well as alternative view
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Tue, 15 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Opinion by Sara McLanahan and Ron Haskins, The Baltimore Sun (11/15/05)
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Sat, 12 Nov 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Opinion by Isabel V. Sawhill and Andrew L. Yarrow, Los Angeles Times (11/12/05)
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Mon, 01 Aug 2005 00:00:00 GMT
&The debate about reforming Social Security has become increasingly ideological. Scare tactics and unrealistic promises have become the norm. Diamond and Orszag bring some welcome realism and decency to the debate. They show exactly where the current
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Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Observers in many industrialized countries believe population aging represents a serious economic threat. Increases in the percentage of the population past retirement age may impose unsustainable burdens on future workers. Either taxes or government debt will have to rise substantially to pay for old-age income support. This paper considers the extent of these burdens and corrects the widespread impression that the burdens are unsupportable.
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Fri, 01 Jul 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Under traditional formulations, lower capital income tax rates reduce the user cost of capital and stimulate investment. The traditional approach, however, implictly or explicitly considers a revenue-neutral reduction in capital income taxation. We extend the traditional approach by considering a reduction in taxes that generates an increase in the budget deficit; the expanded budget deficit raises interest rates and the opportunity cost of investment. This provides a mechanism through which tax cuts can raise the cost of capital. Representative calculations show that, even with relatively modest interest rate effects, the net effect of making the Administration's recent tax cuts permanent or a 10-percent reduction in individual income tax rates would be to raise the user cost of capital. Thus, sustained tax cuts can raise the cost of capital and reduce investment.
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Fri, 01 Jul 2005 00:00:00 GMT
President Bush's top first-term objectives — in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks — were waging and winning the global war on terror, significantly enhancing our homeland security systems, and strengthening economic growth. With sluggish economic growth following the 2001 recession persisting in 2002 and 2003 — due, in part, to the revelation of several corporate governance scandals and the aftermath of technology stock "bubble burst" – the President placed a high premium on tax relief proposals aimed at accelerating the pace of short and long-term economic growth. In this context, it is not at all surprising that large federal budget deficits emerged.
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Tue, 21 Jun 2005 10:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- June 21, 2005, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
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Wed, 01 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Opinion by William G. Gale and Peter R. Orszag, Los Angeles Times (6/1/05)
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Wed, 01 Jun 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Policy Brief #140, by R. Kent Weaver (June 2005)
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Thu, 19 May 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by Peter R. Orszag, House Committee on Ways and Means (5/19/05)
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Fri, 13 May 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by Peter R. Orszag, Senate Democratic Policy Committee (5/13/05)
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Tue, 10 May 2005 15:30:00 GMT
Event Information:
- May 10, 2005, 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
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Sun, 01 May 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by Esther Duflo, William Gale, Jeffrey Liebman, Peter Orszag and Emmanuel Saez (May 2005)
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Tue, 26 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by Peter R. Orszag, Senate Committee on Finance (4/26/05)
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Thu, 14 Apr 2005 09:30:00 GMT
Event Information:
- April 14, 2005, 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
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Fri, 01 Apr 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by Peter A. Diamond and Peter R. Orszag, The Economists? Voice (April 2005)
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Fri, 18 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Opinion by Thomas E. Mann; The New Republic Online (3/18/05)
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Sat, 05 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Opinion by Paul C. Light; New York Times (3/5/05)
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Tue, 01 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Wealth inequality in America dwarfs income inequality, with low levels of asset ownership affecting a majority of the country. Thus the bottom 60 percent of the nation collectively possesses less than 5 percent of the nation’s wealth. Broadening the ownership of assets—through IDAs, children’s savings accounts, and targeted tax subsidies for wealth accumulation—may help expand economic security and opportunity for the nation’s poor.
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Tue, 01 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Article by Peter A. Diamond and Peter R. Orszag, Journal of Economic Perspectives (Spring 2005)
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Tue, 01 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by William G. Gale, J. Mark Iwry, and Peter R. Orszag (March 2005)
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Tue, 01 Mar 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by William G. Gale, J. Mark Iwry, and Peter R. Orszag (March 2005)
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Mon, 14 Feb 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Article by William G. Gale and Peter R. Orszag, Tax Notes (2/14/05)
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Thu, 10 Feb 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by Ron Haskins, House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Human Resources (2/10/05)
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Wed, 09 Feb 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by Peter R. Orszag, House Committee on the Budget (2/9/05)
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Fri, 28 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by Peter R. Orszag, Democratic Policy Committee (1/28/05)
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Sat, 15 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT
Article by Jonathan Rauch; The National Journal (1/15/05)
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Thu, 13 Jan 2005 10:30:00 GMT
Event Information:
- January 13, 2005, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
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Wed, 01 Dec 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by Alexis Ahlstrom, Emily Clements, Anne Tumlinson, and Jeanne Lambrew (December 2004)
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Mon, 01 Nov 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Opinion by Henry J. Aaron, The New York Daily News (11/1/04)
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Wed, 13 Oct 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Speech by Peter R. Orszag, Stable Value Investment Association (10/13/04)
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Thu, 07 Oct 2004 07:30:00 GMT
Event Information:
- October 07, 2004, 7:30 AM to 4:45 PM
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Mon, 04 Oct 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by Robert B. Friedland and Stephanie E. Lewis (10/4/04)
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Fri, 01 Oct 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by Gary Burtless (October 2004)
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Tue, 14 Sep 2004 10:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- September 14, 2004 at 10:00 AM
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Mon, 13 Sep 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by Peter R. Orszag, House Budget Committee Forum (9/13/04)
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Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by William G. Gale, Mark J. Iwry, Peter R. Orszag, Alexis Ahlstrom, Emily Clements, Jeanne Lambrew, Anne Tumlinson (September 2004)
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Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by William G. Gale and Peter R. Orszag, Brookings Panel on Economic Activity (9/10/04)
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Sun, 15 Aug 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Subscribe to Brookings Papers on Economic Activity
For almost thirty years, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity (BPEA) ha
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Tue, 10 Aug 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by Barry P. Bosworth (August 2004)
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Thu, 01 Jul 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by Barry P. Bosworth, Ralph C. Bryant, and Gary Burtless (July 2004)
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Thu, 01 Jul 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Brookings Policy Brief #135 by William G. Gale, J. Mark Iwry and Peter R. Orszag. (July 2004)
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Thu, 10 Jun 2004 08:45:00 GMT
Event Information:
- June 10, 2004, 8:45 AM to 12:30 PM
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Mon, 17 May 2004 09:30:00 GMT
Event Information:
- May 17, 2004, 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
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Tue, 04 May 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Opinion by Peter A. Diamond and Peter R. Orszag (5/04/04)
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Mon, 03 May 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Article by William G. Gale, J. Mark Iwry, and Peter R. Orszag (5/3/04)
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Wed, 28 Apr 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by J. Mark Iwry (4/29/2004)
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Mon, 19 Apr 2004 00:00:00 GMT
The private pension system, together with Social Security, has provided millions of Americans with income security in retirement. But over the past thirty years, pension coverage has stagnated, leaving behind some vulnerable groups. Private Pensio
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Thu, 01 Apr 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Paper by William G. Gale, J. Mark Iwry, and Peter R. Orszag
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Thu, 25 Mar 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Event summary of the Brookings briefing on the U.S. health care system. (3/25/04)
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Thu, 25 Mar 2004 10:00:00 GMT
Event Information:
- March 25, 2004, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
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Wed, 10 Mar 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by Peter R. Orszag (3/10/04)
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Mon, 01 Mar 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Article by Melissa S. Kearney, Journal of Human Resources (Spring 2004)
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Wed, 25 Feb 2004 00:00:00 GMT
Testimony by Peter R. Orszag (2/25/04)