First-order prudence and its implications for precautionary savings and the risk-free rate

Prudence is widely known for inducing precautionary saving behavior. This paper revisits this important implication by introducing the notions of first-order and second-order prudence. Within smooth expected utility (EU), prudence is second-order. In that case, the presence of a small, positive-mean...

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Hauptverfasser: Ebert, Sebastian (VerfasserIn) , Karehnke, Paul (VerfasserIn)
Dokumenttyp: Article (Journal) Book/Monograph
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Rochester, NY Elsevier January 27, 2023
DOI:10.2139/ssrn.4339507
Online-Zugang:Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4339507
Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=4339507
Verlag, kostenfrei: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4339507
Volltext
Verfasserangaben:Sebastian Ebert, Paul Karehnke
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Prudence is widely known for inducing precautionary saving behavior. This paper revisits this important implication by introducing the notions of first-order and second-order prudence. Within smooth expected utility (EU), prudence is second-order. In that case, the presence of a small, positive-mean risk to future wealth reduces saving, while first-order prudence can increase them. The latter is the case for non-EU theories such as rank-dependent or reference-dependent utility, and the increased savings help resolve the so-called risk-free rate puzzle. By proposing a novel utility function that features first-order prudence, we show that the risk-free rate puzzle can be resolved even within the EU paradigm.
Beschreibung:Gesehen am 20.03.2023
Beschreibung:Online Resource
DOI:10.2139/ssrn.4339507
Zugangseinschränkungen:Open Access