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Alexander, Michael Shu, Suzanne Turvey, Calum 2024-11-05T19:42:28Z 2024-11-05T19:42:28Z 2024-05 ProQuest Submission ID: 12073 ProQuest Publication ID: 31241750 https://hdl.handle.net/1813/115795 https://doi.org/10.7298/21a7-g969 16575612 147 pages In this thesis, we attempt to determine the nature and degree of consumers’ inhibitions to annuitization. We find potential answers under both the rational frame and what appear to be psychologically induced behavioral biases to what would otherwise be an unimpeded valuation of the product, the features that comprise it, and their covert NPV. We find that consumers’ valuative decision-making process and subsequent degree of elicited preference appear to not be fully rational and that the inhibitors we identify vary in scope and degree between demographic indicators and psychographic markers. These should remain mostly unchanged as we move to constrain our observations to these groups if consumers were evaluating the products within a fully rational frame of valuation. That said, the preliminary nature of our results require we refine our means of observation and analysis before we are able to make a more final assertion as to consumers’ degree of rational valuation versus their potential behavioral inhibitions. These improvements will permit us to better confirm the presence of those biases and more accurately determine the extent of their role, if indeed present, in the misvaluation of the annuity as an investment vehicle and its perceived reliability to smooth consumption. In full acknowledgment of the work that remains to be done, we look forward to more conclusive results. en Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Annuity Annuity Puzzle Behavioral Economics Consumer Behavior Retirement Investing Wealth Management A Pathway to Financial Stability in Retirement? Annuities and Consumers Preferences dissertation or thesis https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/16575612 application/pdf Applied Economics and Management Cornell University Master of Science M.S., Applied Economics and Management https://hdl.handle.net/1813/59810.2 Publication Cornell Theses and Dissertations Alexander, Michael 5893a6ea-7af3-41d7-abc6-04bcd26ab5df open.access open.access <Publication xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/1.1/" id="089179ff-b07e-4390-b9a3-ea5abf8fe3cc"> <Type xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/vocab/COAR_Publication_Types">http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_1843</Type> <Language>en</Language> <Title>A Pathway to Financial Stability in Retirement? Annuities and Consumers Preferences</Title> <PublishedIn> <Publication> </Publication> </PublishedIn> <PublicationDate>2024-05</PublicationDate> <DOI>https://doi.org/10.7298/21a7-g969</DOI> <Authors> <Author> <DisplayName>Alexander, Michael</DisplayName> <Affiliation> <OrgUnit> </OrgUnit> </Affiliation> </Author> </Authors> <Editors> </Editors> <Publishers> <Publisher> <OrgUnit /> </Publisher> </Publishers> <License>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</License> <Keyword>Annuity</Keyword> <Keyword>Annuity Puzzle</Keyword> <Keyword>Behavioral Economics</Keyword> <Keyword>Consumer Behavior</Keyword> <Keyword>Retirement Investing</Keyword> <Keyword>Wealth Management</Keyword> <Abstract>In this thesis, we attempt to determine the nature and degree of consumers’ inhibitions to annuitization. We find potential answers under both the rational frame and what appear to be psychologically induced behavioral biases to what would otherwise be an unimpeded valuation of the product, the features that comprise it, and their covert NPV. We find that consumers’ valuative decision-making process and subsequent degree of elicited preference appear to not be fully rational and that the inhibitors we identify vary in scope and degree between demographic indicators and psychographic markers. These should remain mostly unchanged as we move to constrain our observations to these groups if consumers were evaluating the products within a fully rational frame of valuation. That said, the preliminary nature of our results require we refine our means of observation and analysis before we are able to make a more final assertion as to consumers’ degree of rational valuation versus their potential behavioral inhibitions. These improvements will permit us to better confirm the presence of those biases and more accurately determine the extent of their role, if indeed present, in the misvaluation of the annuity as an investment vehicle and its perceived reliability to smooth consumption. In full acknowledgment of the work that remains to be done, we look forward to more conclusive results.</Abstract> <Access xmlns="http://purl.org/coar/access_right" > </Access> </Publication>