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Life-cycle hypothesis, propensities to save, and demand for financial assets

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Abstract

In recent decades, the United States has not only experienced great economic changes in the financial markets but also undergone tremendous social and demographic transformations. Based on the life-cycle theory of consumption and saving, Keynes’s concept of marginal propensity to save, and Friedman’s theory of asset demand, this study shows that changes in sociodemographic conditions have significant impacts on the saving behavior of individuals in the financial markets. Findings indicate that the amounts of savings held in financial institutions for transactions, precautionary, and speculative motives differ substantially among individuals with divergent socio-economic characteristics. Regression results also show that individuals with different demographic backgrounds differ greatly in their propensities to save and hold financial assest with different degrees of liquidity and risk.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division, U.S. Bureau of the Census, 20233, Washington DC

    Jan Tin

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  1. Jan Tin
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Correspondence to Jan Tin.

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The author is grateful to an anonymous referee for many valuable comments and to Thomas Palumbo, Michael Davern, Stephanie Shipp, and Arthur Kennickell for their suggestions. This paper reports the results of research and analysis undertaken by Census Bureau staff. It has undergone a more limited review than offical Census Bureau publications. This report is released to inform interested parties of research and to encourage discussion.

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Tin, J. Life-cycle hypothesis, propensities to save, and demand for financial assets. J Econ Finan 24, 110–121 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02752707

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