Does Stock Market Performance Influence Retirement Intentions?

Posted: 3 Feb 2013

See all articles by Sita N. Slavov

Sita N. Slavov

American Enterprise Institute; Occidental College - Department of Economics

Gopi Shah Goda

Stanford University

John B. Shoven

Stanford University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: 2012

Abstract

Media reports predicted that the stock market decline in October 2008 would cause changes in retirement intentions, due to declines in retirement assets. We use panel data from the Health and Retirement Study to investigate the relationship between stock market performance and retirement intentions during 1998-2008, a period that includes the recent crisis. While we find a weak negative correlation between stock returns and retirement intentions, further investigation suggests that this relationship is not driven by wealth shocks brought about by stock market fluctuations, but by other factors that are correlated with both the stock market and retirement intentions.

Keywords: stock market, retirement, stock returns

Suggested Citation

Slavov, Sita N. and Goda, Gopi Shah and Shoven, John B., Does Stock Market Performance Influence Retirement Intentions? (2012). Journal of Human Resources, Vol. 47, No. 4, 2012, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2210453

Sita N. Slavov (Contact Author)

American Enterprise Institute ( email )

1150 17th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.aei.org/scholar/sita-nataraj-slavov/

Occidental College - Department of Economics ( email )

Los Angeles, CA 90041
United States

Gopi Shah Goda

Stanford University ( email )

SIEPR
366 Galvez St.
Stanford, CA 94305
United States
6507360480 (Phone)

John B. Shoven

Stanford University - Department of Economics ( email )

Landau Economics Building
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Stanford, CA 94305-6072
United States
650-326-5377 (Phone)
650-328-4163 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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