Geographic Proximity and Transfers of Time and Money among Family Members Over the Life Cycle

Emily Wiemers, University of Michigan

This paper uses the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to examine the evolution of geographic proximity over the life-cycle. I focus on how the history of geographic proximity relates to transfers from parents to children and from children to parents and examine the relationship between transfers received and transfers given asking three related questions: (1) How does geographic proximity among family members evolve over the life course? (2) How do transfers received and transfers given at different points in the life cycle relate to one another? (3) What is the relationship between family histories of geographic proximity and transfers of time and money among family members? This paper provides a basic exploration of how transfers and geographic proximity evolve over the life course. It is largely descriptive in nature but has the potential to shed light on the motivations behind time and money transfers and geographic proximity among family members.