Life-cycle portfolio choice: The role of heterogeneous under-diversification

Claudio Campanale

Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 2009, vol. 33, issue 9, pages 1682-1698

Abstract: In life-cycle portfolio choice models it is standard to assume that all agents invest in a diversified stock market index. In contrast recent empirical evidence, summarized in Campbell [2006. Household finance. Journal of Finance 61, 1553-1604] suggests that households' financial portfolios are under-diversified and that there is substantial heterogeneity in diversification. In the present paper I examine the effects of heterogeneous under-diversification in a life-cycle portfolio choice model with uninsurable uncertain earnings and fixed per-period participation costs. The analysis of the model shows that realistically calibrated under-diversification gives an important contribution to the explanation of two key facts of households' portfolio allocation: the moderate stock market participation rate and the moderate stock share for participants.

Keywords: Portfolio; choice; Life-cycle; Under-diversification; Retirement; wealth (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009

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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:33:y:2009:i:9:p:1682-1698

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