Economists conducting normative analyses of household financial decisions typically assume specific values of parameters of the household utility function. We review 12 normative analyses and discuss justifications for the personal discount rates assumed. None of the normative articles cited an...

To estimate the monetary value of ideal financial planning advice, we address three types of benefits that planners provide: increasing wealth, preventing loss, and smoothing consumption. We discuss, then reject the possibility of using survey data to obtain valid estimates of the benefit of...

We extend previous research on factors related to workers stating that they would never retire, by analyzing the impact of financial knowledge variables on the expectation. The never retire rate is related to objective financial knowledge, with a 20% rate for those who missed all questions,...

Assessment of risk tolerance is fundamental to proper asset allocation within a household portfolio. It is also a frequently misunderstood concept and difficult to measure practically. We discuss the relationship between risk aversion and portfolio recommendations based on an expected utility...

Normative analyses of household financial decisions typically assume parameters of the household utility function. Some general issues on parameter assumptions for normative analysis are discussed in this study. We review selected normative household analyses appearing in finance and economics...