Small cues change savings choices

Small Cues Change Savings Choices.

We present evidence from randomized field experiments that 401(k) savings choices are significantly affected by one- to two-sentence anchoring, goal-setting, or savings threshold cues embedded in emails sent to employees about their 401(k) plan. Even though these cues contain little to no marginal information, cues that make high savings rates salient increased 401(k) contribution rates by up t...

Demographic Change, Social Security Systems, and Savings.

In theory, improvements in healthy life expectancy should generate increases in the average age of retirement, with little effect on savings rates. In many countries, however, retirement incentives in social security programs prevent retirement ages from keeping pace with changes in life expectancy, leading to an increased need for life-cycle savings. Analyzing a cross-country panel of macroeco...

Do Subtle Cues About Belongingness Constrain Women's Career Choices?

Nilanjana Dasgupta's (this issue) stereotype inoculation model (SIM) helps explain why what feels like a free choice to pursue one life path over another "is often constrained by subtle cues in achievement environments that signal who naturally belongs there and is most likely to succeed and who else is a dubious fit" (p. 231). She posits that seeing others like themselves in successful roles i...

Rhythm of life: choices, challenges and change.

Lifewith human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 2010 is life with a future, a different situation to that in 1989 or even 1999. Conclusive evidence of the success of combination antiretroviral therapy was first presented at the 1996 World AIDS Conference. Subsequent treatments and combinations of treatments have, for most people with HIV, achieved better results. These improved treatment outcome...

A doctor's dilemma: choices amidst change.