Kent Smetters

Education

• 1995 Ph.D. Economics, Harvard University
• 1992 M.A. Economics, Harvard University
• 1990 B.S. Computer Science, Ohio State University
• 1990 B.S. Economics, Ohio State University

Kent Smetters is the Boettner Chair Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Besides being a professor in Business Economics and Public Policy, he is also professor of Insurance and Risk Management as well as a faculty member in Applied Mathematics and Computational Science at Penn. His research focuses on applied theory, fiscal policy, risk measurement, insurance, health care, and personal finance. Previous policy positions include the Congressional Budget Office (1995 to 1998) as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary (Economic Policy) for the United States Treasury (2001-2002). He and his coauthor recently won the 2016 TIAA Paul A. Samuelson Award for their study on annuitization. He is the host of “Your Money,” a weekly personal finance radio show on SiriusXM 111 (Business Radio) as well as a monthly contributor to the Wall Street Journal. He occasionally provides support on meaningful legal cases related to medical malpractice, ERISA, insurance, financial advice and securities offerings. Kent Smetters received his PhD in Economics from Harvard University.

Awards and Honors

• Undergraduate Teaching Award, The Wharton School, 2008
• Institute for Quantitative Research in Finance (“The Q-Group”) Award, 2005
• Smith-Richardson Foundation Research Grant, 2005
• Smith-Richardson Foundation Research Grant, 2004
• Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research Grant, 2004
• National Bureau of Economic Research, RRC Grants, 2003-2007
• TIAA-CREF Paul A. Samuelson, Certificate of Excellence, 2002
• Robert C. Witt Award for the best paper published in the Journal of Risk and Insurance, 2000
• 2016 TIAA Paul A. Samuelson Award, 1970