Two well known stochastic optimization algorithms, simulated annealing and genetic algorithm are compared when using a sample to minimize an objective function which is the expectation of a random variable. Since they lead to minimum depending on the sample, a weighted version of simulated...

We investigate the optimal savings decisions for investors with access to pre-tax (traditional) and post-tax (Roth) versions of tax-advantaged retirement accounts. The model features a progressive tax schedule and uncertainty over future tax rates. Traditional accounts are valuable for hedging...

This paper aims to present the abridged guidelines for the usage of various measurement scales in social research. Selection of measurement scales play a pivotal role in social science research and most of statistical techniques and tests require a specific measurement scales to be employed in...

How do people make choices in a dynamic stochastic environment when they face uncertainty about the return of their choices? The classical approach to this problem is to assume consumers use dynamic programming to obtain the optimal decision rule. However, this approach has two drawbacks. First,...