Optimal asset allocation in retirement planning: threshold-based utility maximization

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maximilian Bär ◽  
Nadine Gatzert ◽  
Jochen Ruß
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Asset Allocation ◽  
Expected Utility Theory ◽  
Retirement Planning ◽  
Utility Functions ◽  
Market Model ◽  
Power Utility ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Retirement Saving ◽  
Saving Decisions

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to modify the shape of utility functions traditionally used in expected utility theory (EUT) to derive optimal retirement saving decisions. Inspired by current reference point based approaches, the authors argue that utility functions with jumps or kinks at certain threshold points might very well be rational.Design/methodology/approachThe authors suggest an alternative to typical utility functions used in EUT, to be applied in the context of retirement saving decisions. The authors argue that certain elements that are used to model biases in behavioral models should–in the context of optimal retirement saving decisions–be considered “rational” and hence be included in a normative setting as well. The authors compare the optimal asset allocation derived under such utility functions with results under traditional power utility.FindingsThe authors find that the considered threshold levels can have a significant impact on the optimal investment decision for some individuals. In particular, the authors show that a much riskier investment than under EUT can become optimal if some level of income is secured by a social security and a significant portion of the distribution of terminal wealth lies below this level.Originality/valueContrary to previous work, this model is especially designed to assess the question of optimal product choice/asset allocation in the specific setting of retirement planning and from a normative point of view. In this regard, the authors first motivate the use of several thresholds and then apply this approach in a capital market model with stochastic stocks and stochastic interest rates to two illustrative investment alternatives.

scholarly journals Retirement Saving and Decumulation in a Persistent Low-Return Environment

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason J. Fichtner ◽  
Jason S. Seligman
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Asset Allocation ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Wealth Management ◽  
Retirement Saving ◽  
Rate Environment ◽  
Alternative Responses ◽  
Retirement Study

The current retirement environment presents challenges, not only over the period for which interest rates remain low, but also once interest rates appreciably increase. This chapter addresses two related questions: first, how have households responded to the current low interest rate environment, and second, are there alternative responses or investments which households might do well to consider? We employ the Health and Retirement Study to first investigate impacts of the low interest rate on savings, wealth, and asset allocation. We also report on a subset of households who were relatively successful at building and preserving wealth over this period. Following this, we consider alternative portfolio and wealth management strategies targeting increases in equities and delayed claiming of Social Security in terms of their potential to add value in persistent low return environments.

OPTIMAL ASSET ALLOCATION WITH STOCHASTIC INTEREST RATES IN REGIME-SWITCHING MODELS

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (05) ◽  
pp. 1850032 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. YE ◽  
R. H. LIU ◽  
D. REN
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Asset Allocation ◽  
Regime Switching ◽  
Optimization Problems ◽  
Stochastic Interest Rates ◽  
Power Utility ◽  
Regime Switching Models ◽  
Switching Models ◽  
Stochastic Interest ◽  
The Impact

This paper focuses on optimal asset allocation with stochastic interest rates in regime-switching models. A class of stochastic optimal control problems with Markovian regime-switching is formulated for which a verification theorem is provided. The theory is applied to solve two portfolio optimization problems (a portfolio of stock and savings account and a portfolio of mixed stock, bond and savings account) while a regime-switching Vasicek model is assumed for the interest rate. Closed-form solutions are obtained for a regime-switching power utility function. Numerical results are provided to illustrate the impact of regime-switching on the optimal investment decisions.

Interest in alternative investment classes is growing

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Asset Allocation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alternative Investments ◽  
Low Interest Rates ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Investment Portfolios ◽  
Standard Risk ◽  
Alternative Investment

Subject The increasing popularity of alternative investment asset classes in the global search for yield. Significance The prolonged period of low interest rates has negatively affected insurers, making it harder for them to meet the guarantees that are attached to life products. The challenges faced by insurers have increased attention on alternative investments. Led by the United States, global investment in infrastructure is expected to increase next year. Against this backdrop, it is useful to examine alternative investment classes and the role national regulatory regimes are likely to play in the allocation of assets to alternative investments. Impacts Increased asset allocation towards alternative investments will gradually lead to more efficient investment portfolios. Under standard risk models, capital charges for alternative investments may remain prohibitive in the near term. There is likely to be an increasing role for institutional investors such as insurers and pension funds in infrastructure investment.

How to derive optimal guarantee levels in participating life insurance contracts

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 445-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Braun ◽  
Marius Fischer ◽  
Hato Schmeiser
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Life Insurance ◽  
Asset Allocation ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Insurance Company ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Contract Duration ◽  
The Interest Rate

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to show how an insurance company can maximize the policyholder’s utility by setting the level of the interest rate guarantee in line with his preferences. Design/methodology/approach The authors develop a general model of life insurance, taking stochastic interest rates, early default and regular premium payments into account. Furthermore, the authors assume that equity holders must receive risk-adequate returns on their initial equity contribution and that the insurance company has to maintain a solvency restriction. Findings The findings show that the optimal level for the interest rate guarantee is in general far below the maximum value typically set by the supervisory authorities and insurance companies. Originality/value The authors conclude that the approach of deviating from the maximum interest rate guarantee level given by the regulatory requirements can create additional value for the rational policyholder. In contrast to Schmeiser and Wagner (2014), the second finding shows that the interest rate guarantee embedded in a life insurance product becomes less attractive compared to a pure investment in the underlying asset portfolio to the policyholder when the guarantee level is lowered too far or the contract duration is short. They also refute Schmeiser and Wagner (2014) by showing that the equity capital required by the insurance company increases with the level of the guarantee, even if the insurer is flexible with respect to its asset allocation. The last finding is that a policyholder with higher risk aversion does not generally prefer a higher guarantee level.

scholarly journals The impact of rating classifications on stock prices of Brazilian companies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Pagin ◽  
Matheus da Costa Gomes ◽  
Rafael Moreira Antônio ◽  
Tabajara Pimenta Júnior ◽  
Luiz Eduardo Gaio
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Asset Allocation ◽  
Stock Prices ◽  
Market Reaction ◽  
Investment Decision ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Investment Strategy ◽  
Market Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to identify if there is an impact of the rating announcements issued by the agencies on the returns of the stocks of Brazilian companies listed on Brasil Bolsa Balcão, from August 2002 to August 2018, identifying which types of announcement (upgrade, downgrade or the same initial classification) cause variations in prices around the date of disclosure of the rating. Design/methodology/approach The event study methodology was applied to verify the market reaction around the announcement dates in a 21-day event window (−10, +10). The market model was used to calculate the abnormal returns (ARs), and subsequently, the accumulated ARs. Findings The hypotheses tests allowed to verify that the accumulated ARs are different, before and after the three types of rating announcements (upgrades, downgrades and the same classification); in upgrades, the mean of accumulated ARs increases in the days before the event, while in downgrades, this increase occurs after the event. This paper concluded that the rating announcements have an impact on the return of stock of the Brazilian market and that the market reaction occurs most of the time before the event happens, which indicates that the market can anticipate the information contained in the changes in credit ratings. Practical implications The results have considerable implications for portfolio managers, institutional investors and traders. It facilitates investment decision-making in the face of rating classification announcements. Market participants can pay more attention to their investment strategies and asset allocation during periods of risk rating announcements. Additionally, traders can understand the form of investment strategy for superior earnings. Originality/value The importance of the study is related to the fact that the results may explain the causes of specific movements in the Brazilian financial market related to a source of information that may or may not be able to influence the decisions of the financial agents that operate in this market. The justification is centred on the idea that, for investors who somehow react to the announcements, it is relevant to understand the impact of rating classifications on companies, as access to such information allows for more conscious decision-making.

scholarly journals Pareto Efficient Auctions with Interest Rates

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 1989-1995
Author(s):  
Gagan Goel ◽  
Vahab Mirrokni ◽  
Renato Paes Leme
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rate ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Utility Functions ◽  
Limited Access ◽  
Incentive Compatible ◽  
Pareto Efficient ◽  
Available Resources

We consider auction settings in which agents have limited access to monetary resources but are able to make payments larger than their available resources by taking loans with a certain interest rate. This setting is a strict generalization of budget constrained utility functions (which corresponds to infinite interest rates). Our main result is an incentive compatible and Pareto-efficient auction for a divisible multi-unit setting with 2 players who are able to borrow money with the same interest rate. The auction is an ascending price clock auction that bears some similarities to the clinching auction but at the same time is a considerable departure from this framework: allocated goods can be de-allocated in future and given to other agents and prices for previously allocated goods can be raised.

Development and validation of financial well-being related scales

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 1025-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farah Diba M.A. Abrantes-Braga ◽  
Tania Veludo-de-Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Credit Card ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Convergent And Discriminant Validity ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Development And Validation ◽  
Additional Income

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop valid and reliable scales for assessing a driver and two obstacles potentially related to financial well-being (FWB): financial preparedness for emergency, beliefs of credit limits as additional income and risky indebtedness behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe scales were developed from scratch across six studies, employing a two-step methodology, which encompassed both qualitative (e.g. focus group, interviews) and quantitative (i.e. online surveys) data collection. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were employed to test and validate the proposed scales.FindingsThis study provides a set of three parsimonious, self-reported behavioural measures that could be employed in conjunction with objective economic indicators to identify individuals who are financially ill prepared and potential candidates for delinquency. The three proposed scales achieved satisfactory levels of reliability and convergent and discriminant validity.Research limitations/implicationsThe resulting scales still need to be tested for predictive validity and in different consumer groups. The scales were validated in a single culture population (Brazil, a country that presents extraordinarily high credit card interest rates), and they should be tested cross-culturally in countries with different economic and credit policies.Originality/valueThe literature on FWB has traditionally employed objective financial indicators as an attempt to measure the concept of FWB and its elements. Self-reported behavioural measures of such constructs are scant to the point of being non-existent for some elements. This study is the first to offer scales for measuring the elements of financial preparedness for emergency, beliefs of credit limits as additional income and risky indebtedness behaviour.

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