• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.45-68
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• 2012

This study performed an analysis to determine if an individual can maintain the current consumption, in the case of a single retired elderly person's household using the accumulated assets. Assets are divided into three types, based on the behavioral economics life cycle hypothesis : financial assets, real assets excepting residential assets, and residential assets, and it is assumed that these assets were used on a step-by-step basis. Also, if the assets were sufficient, the maximum withdrawal amount was calculated. The results of the analysis are as follows. First, the monetary assets were sufficient to cover the cost of living for 2.7 years, 6.4 years by using the real assets of the non-occupied housing, and 26.3 years in the case of residential property. Second, in the case of preferentially using the financial assets, 4.4% of the sample households were able to cover the cost of living. Households that were not able to cover the cost of living used the next-stage assets, real assets of the non-occupied housing. Households that were not able to cover the cost of living by financial assets liquidated the real assets with the exception of residential assets and used these to cover the cost of living. A total of 4.8% of the households were able to maintain the current cost of living through the second stage and 25.5% supplemented their funds by using residential assets. That is to say, 35% of the sample households were able to maintain the current level of living by using their assets.