Annuity Markets

by Edmund Cannon, Ian Tonks

Overview

The Pension Crisis concerns the changing demographic profile of more elderly and fewer young people in the economy. Understanding and tackling this impending crisis is a key task for public policy. An annuity protects an individual from outliving their savings, and is central to pensions policy. This book examines the different types of annuities available, how these annuities are priced, the history of annuities, how annuities markets function: how they work, and are they efficient. It provides an international comparison of annuity markets, and examines recent developments in annuity markets.

Governments around the world are shifting their pension policies away from pay-as-you-go systems towards individual savings schemes. These savings need to be converted into a pension at retirement, and annuity markets provide this function. This book is a comprehensive study of annuity markets. The book starts by outlining the context of public policy towards pensions policy. It then explains the different types of annuities available, focusing on the US and UK, and how these annuities are priced, examining pricing and reserving methods from an actuarial perspective and also describing mortality measurement. The next two chapters describe the history of annuities, and the experience of annuity markets in countries other than the UK and US. The book then outlines the theory behind annuites, and explains how annuities insure consumers against longevity risks. The next chapter describes how annuities markets function: how they work, and whether they are efficient, leading onto a discussion of the annuity puzzle. The book concludes by discussing recent developments in annuity markets.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199216994
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/21/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	316
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Edmund Cannon is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Bristol. His research includes work on pension economics; the effect of demographic change on the macroeconomy; endogenous growth theory; and the rôle of financial markets and transport in economic development. He teaches macroeconomics and econometrics, is Deputy Director of the Economics Network of the Higher Education Academy and has taught at the University of Oxford and the University of Verona. He has acted as a consultant to the UK water industry and advised the Department of Work and Pensions. Professor Ian Tonks is Director of Xfi Centre for Finance and Investment at the University of Exeter. During the academic year 2006/07 he is Senior Houblon-Norman Fellow at the Bank of England. His research focuses on pension economics; fund manager performance; market microstructure and the organisation of stock exchanges; directors' trading; and the new issue market. He has published in leading finance and economics journals, and teaches across all areas of financial economics including asset pricing, corporate finance, market efficiency and performance measurement. He is a consultant to the Financial Markets Group, and the Centre for Market and Public Organisation. He has acted as a consultant to a number of commercial and regulatory organisations including the London Stock Exchange, the Competition Commission, and the Financial Services Authority, and has advised the Department of Work and Pensions, and the House of Commons Select Committee on issues in pensions.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction2. Annuity Market Products3. Pricing Annuity Products4. Annuity Markets around the World5. History of Annuity Markets6. Economic Theory of Annuities7. Evidence on Selection Effects in Annuity Markets8. The Annuity Puzzle9. Supply of Annuities and Regulation of Annuity Providers10. Annuity Policies and Conclusions