Goal-based portfolio selection with mental accounting

Erhan Bayraktar and Bingyan Han

Papers from arXiv.org

Abstract: We present a continuous-time portfolio selection framework that reflects goal-based investment principles and mental accounting behavior. In this framework, an investor with multiple investment goals constructs separate portfolios, each corresponding to a specific goal, with penalties imposed on fund transfers between these goals, referred to as mental costs. By applying the stochastic Perron's method, we demonstrate that the value function is the unique constrained viscosity solution of a Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation system. Numerical analysis reveals several key features: the free boundaries exhibit complex shapes with bulges and notches; the optimal strategy for one portfolio depends on the wealth level of another; investors must diversify both among stocks and across portfolios; and they may postpone reallocating surplus from an important goal to a less important one until the former's deadline approaches.

Date: 2025-06, Revised 2025-06
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