We combine a dynamic programming approach (stochastic optimal control) with a multi-stage stochastic programming approach (MSP) in order to solve various problems in personal finance and pensions. Stochastic optimal control produces an optimal policy that is easy to understand and implement....

Most portfolio selection rules based on the sample mean and covariance matrix perform poorly out-of-sample. Moreover, there is a growing body of evidence that such optimization rules are not able to beat simple rules of thumb, such as 1/N. Parameter uncertainty has been identified as one major...