Bequest Question

Bryan Caplan

By Bryan Caplan, Nov 12 2009

According to “mistake” theories of inheritance, people leave bequests because they don’t have enough information to spend all their assets before they die.

Question: In a world with annuities and negative mortgages, how can anyone continue to believe this story?

A reader recommends a paper by Laurence J. Kotlikoff and David Rapson. The reader views this paper as contradicting the article I linked to earlier. Kotlikoff and Rapson report marginal tax rates of closer to 40 percent than 100 percent for people in the lower income ranges. One difference is that Kotlikoff and Raps...

Nov 13 2009

Books: Reviews and Suggested Readings

The Faces of Janus

Bryan Caplan

While preparing my promotion packet, I came across my old review of A. James Gregor's outstanding The Faces of Janus: Marxism and Fascism in the Twentieth Century. Highlights: Gregor provides an elegant and thoughtful history of what one might uncharitably term the "Big Lie" of Marxism: That it is diametrica...

Nov 12 2009

Family Economics

Bequest Question

Bryan Caplan

According to "mistake" theories of inheritance, people leave bequests because they don't have enough information to spend all their assets before they die.Question: In a world with annuities and negative mortgages, how can anyone continue to believe this story?

Bequest Question

Bryan Caplan

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Marginal Tax Rates, Again

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