Though risk attitude is central to economics and finance, relatively little is known about how it is formed and how it changes over time. Based on US data from a dedicated psycho-social module on lifestyle of the 2010 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we provide new evidence on the correlation...

We develop a measure of (hybrid) defined benefit (DB) pension risk and show how this pension risk affects individual portfolio decisions. We find that people in riskier DB plans are, on average, not only less likely to hold equity but also hold a smaller share of their wealth in equity. This...

We investigate the optimal portfolio and consumption policies for a finite-horizon investor in a life-cycle model with habit formation and inflation risk. We consider two types of habit investors: one forms habit based on real past consumption, while the other on nominal past consumption, which...

We study the life cycle of portfolio allocation following for 15 years a large random sample of Norwegian households using error-free data on all components of households' investments drawn from the Tax Registry. Both, participation in the stock market and the portfolio share in stocks, have...

We use individual life-history data on twelve European countries to investigate the role of temptation in explaining the decision to become home-owners relatively late in life. The model we consider takes into account the standard motives for saving and investing in illiquid assets such as...

We study the multi-period asset allocation problem for emerging-market investors whose asset menu consists of stocks, bonds and bills. We consider two types of investors: domestic investors who invest in emerging-market assets only (with returns in local currency) and international investors who...

We study the multi-period asset allocation problem for emerging market investors whose asset menu consists of stocks, bonds and bills. We consider two types of emerging market investors: domestic investors (with returns in local currency) and international investors who can invest in US and...

We estimate the myopic (single-period) and intertemporal hedging (long-run) demand for stocks in 20 growth-leading emerging market economies and the US during the 1999-2012 period. We consider two types of emerging market investors: a domestic investor (whose returns are denominated in the local...

We investigate whether lack of familiarity may contribute to an explanation of the gender gap in stock market participation and risk taking. We use ads in widely read women magazines to select companies that we assume to be more familiar to women than to men, and construct a “pink”...

We study the decision problem of the optimal choice between home equity release products from a retired homeowner's perspective in the presence of longevity, long-term care, house price, and interest rate risk. The individual can choose to release home equity using reverse mortgages or home...