We pursue an inverse approach to utility theory and associated consumption and investment problems. Instead of specifying a utility function and deriving the actions of an agent, we assume that we observe the actions of the agent (i.e. consumption and investment strategies) and ask if it is...

We study the stochastic control problem of maximizing expected utility from terminal wealth under a nonbankruptcy constraint. The problem of the agent is to derive the optimal insurance strategy which reduces his exposure to the risk. This optimization problem is related to a suitable dual...