Abigail Hurwitz Ph.d

My research focus is on long-term saving decisions, pension systems, and decision making, mostly regarding annuitization decisions. The need for research on long-term savings and pension schemes is now clearer than ever. The combined trends of lengthening life expectancy, occupational instability, and the steady erosion of government support for retirement plans raises many questions related to savings and retirement. Financial decisions made around retirement are some of the most significant decisions a person can make in life, as they determine one’s financial status for the remainder of one’s life. As a result, the behavioral circumstances leading to these decisions and their outcome are of great interest to policymakers.

Within this line of research, I study how environmental risks (such as climate risk) are expected to change basic financial assumptions (such as assumptions regarding inflation, interest rates and longevity) that are of great importance to individuals making long term financial decisions.