An economic analysis of proposals to improve coverage of longevity risk*

Simulation methods are used to analyze the impacts of recently proposed reforms to cover longevity risk: a key proposal of the D’Amours committee (the longevity pension); a proposal by Mintz and Wilson to increase the generosity of the existing QPP/CPP; and one by Wolfson to make contribution and benefit rates vary with earnings. The internal rate of return (IRR) of each of these proposals is computed taking into consideration inequality in life expectancy, temporal variability of earnings, and interactions with taxation and the different retirement income support programs. For all the reforms, the rates of return are higher for individuals with higher levels of education and often reach a maximum for average annual income levels between $25,000 and $45,000.