Pension plan characteristics and framing effects in employee savings behavior
By: David Card, Michael Ransom.
Contributors: Ransom, Michael R.; National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series -- no. 13275.; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research) -- working paper no. 13275.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Cambridge, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 23
Subjects: Retirement income -- Decision making -- Econometric models; College teachers -- Pensions; Saving and investment -- Decision making
Description: In this paper we document the importance of framing effects in the retirement savings decisions of college professors. Pensions in many post-secondary institutions are funded by a combination of an employer contribution and a mandatory employee contribution. Employees can also make tax-deferred contributions to a supplemental savings account. A standard lifecycle savings model predicts a "dollar-for-dollar" tradeoff between supplemental savings and the combined regular pension contributions made on behalf of an employee. Contrary to this prediction, we estimate that each additional dollar of employee contributions leads to a 70 cent reduction in supplemental savings, whereas each dollar of employer contributions generates only a 30 cent reduction. The asymmetry - which is consistent with different "mental accounts" for employer and employee contributions - provides further evidence of the sensitivity of individual savings decisions to the precise details of their pension plan.
Notes: "July 2007"

Includes bibliographical references (p. 21-23).

Also available in PDF from the NBER world wide web site (www.nber.org).