Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association (대한가정학회지)

The Korean Home Economics Association (대한가정학회)
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Estate Planning among the U.S. Elderly - Focusing on Wills -

미국 노인층의 자산 상속 계획 - 유언장 준비를 중심으로 -

  • Lee Jieun (Samsung Institute of Global Marketing, Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd.)
  • 이지은 (삼성전자 글로벌마케팅 연구소)
  • Published : 2005.06.01
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate older people's planning for estate distribution by examining the factors associated with their will-holding status. This study used data from the 1994 Assets and Health Dynamics among the Oldest Old (AHEAD) Survey, Wave One. The objectives of this study were (a) to establish profiles of older people who have a written will and to compare their financial portfolios across will-holding status; (b) to identify factors that influence the decision to make a will, and (c) to draw implications for family economists, financial educators, planners, and policy makers. The results suggested that a household's financial resources (i.e., liquid and illiquid assets, housing equity, and household income) positively influence the probability of having a will. Older people who resided in a community property state and who were in poor health were less likely to be will-holders than their counterparts, holding financial resources and other variables constant. Demographic characteristics such as age, education, and race, and behavioral characteristic also were significant determinants of the likelihood of having a will. Volunteer participation and charitable contribution, which are proxies for altruism, increased the likelihood of having a will. The probability of having a will also was higher among those who had life insurance and had gwen inter-vivos gifts of more than $\$5,000$ to their children or grandchildren in the past 10 years. On the other hand, the likelihood of having a will declined with increasing number of biological children. From the findings, implications for financial planners and educators were suggested along with directions for future research.

본 연구의 목적은 미국 노인층을 중심으로 자산 분배 계획(estate planning)의 한 형태인 유언장 작성 현황 및 유언장 준비에 영향을 미치는 요인들을 살펴보는 것이다. 이를 위하여 미시간 대학 Survey Research Cutter에서 조사하고 National Institute on Aging에서 지원한 1994년 미국 노인층의 자산과 건강역동성에 관한 조사(Assets and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old) Wave 1을 이용하였으며, 조사대상자는 70세 이상의 5,365 노인가구이다. 본 연구의 구체적인 목표는 (1) 유언장을 준비한 노인들의 profile을 작성하고, 유언장 준비 여부별 노인들의 financial portfolio에 어떤 차이가 있는지를 비교하고, (2) 유언장 작성과 관련된 여러 요인들을 조사하며, (3) 본 결과를 바탕으로 가정경제학자 및 가계 재무상담자에게 시사점을 제시하는 것이다. 주요 결과는 (1) 자산 분배 계획(유언장 준비, 증여, 종신보험 가입등) 정도는 노인층들에게서 조차 낮은 것으로 나타났다 (2) 나이가 많으며, 부유하고 교육수준이 높으며, 백인이고 건강한 노인들이 그렇지 않은 노인들보다 유언장 준비를 할 확률이 높았으며, (3) 이타심(altruism)의 proxy 변수인 자선봉사 활동 참여와 기부여부도 유언장 준비에 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며, (4) 재무 advisor가 있고, 자녀수가 적은 노인들이 그렇지 않은 노인들에 비해 유언장을 준비할 가능성이 높았다. (5) 그리고, 종신보험에 가입했거나, 지난 10년간 자녀에게 증여를 한 노인들이 그렇지 않은 노인들에 비해 유언장을 준비할 확률이 낮게 나타났다. 조사 결과를 바탕으로 가계 재무 상담자 및 후속 연구 위한 제언들이 제시되었다.

Keywords

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