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Optimal pension insurance design

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  • Døskeland, Trond M.
  • Nordahl, Helge A.

Abstract

In this paper we analyze how the traditional life and pension contracts with a guaranteed rate of return can be optimized to increase customers' welfare. Given that the contracts have to be priced correctly, we use individuals' preferences to find the preferred design. Assuming CRRA utility, we cannot explain the existence of any form of guarantees. Through numerical solutions we quantify the difference (measured in certainty equivalents) to the preferred Merton solution of direct investments in a fixed proportion of risky and risk free assets. The largest welfare loss seems to come from the fact that guarantees are effective by the end of each year, not only by the expiry of the contract. However, the demand for products with guarantees may be explained through behavioral models. We use cumulative prospect theory as an example, showing that the optimal design is a simple contract with a life-time guarantee and no default option.

Suggested Citation

  • Døskeland, Trond M. & Nordahl, Helge A., 2008. "Optimal pension insurance design," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 382-392, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:32:y:2008:i:3:p:382-392
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    2. Nielsen, J. Aase & Sandmann, Klaus & Schlögl, Erik, 2011. "Equity-linked pension schemes with guarantees," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 547-564.
    3. Johanna Scheller & Jacques Pézier, 2008. "Optimal Investment Strategies and Performance Sharing Rules for Pension Schemes with Minimum Guarantee," ICMA Centre Discussion Papers in Finance icma-dp2008-09, Henley Business School, University of Reading, revised Oct 2009.
    4. Philip Bromiley, 2009. "A Prospect Theory Model of Resource Allocation," Decision Analysis, INFORMS, vol. 6(3), pages 124-138, September.
    5. Berkelaar, Arjan & Kouwenberg, Roy, 2009. "From boom 'til bust: How loss aversion affects asset prices," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 1005-1013, June.
    6. Andreas Richter & Jochen Ruß & Stefan Schelling, 2019. "Insurance customer behavior: Lessons from behavioral economics," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 22(2), pages 183-205, July.
    7. Chen, An & Rach, Manuel, 2019. "Options on tontines: An innovative way of combining tontines and annuities," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 182-192.
    8. Daliana Luca, 2018. "Does prevention as an investment strategy explain the intention to purchase guarantees for unit-linked life insurance?," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(3), pages 153-167, December.
    9. Christian Hilpert, 2020. "The Effect of Risk Aversion and Loss Aversion on Equity‐Linked Life Insurance With Surrender Guarantees," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 87(3), pages 665-687, September.
    10. Chen, An & Hentschel, Felix & Klein, Jakob K., 2015. "A utility- and CPT-based comparison of life insurance contracts with guarantees," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 327-339.
    11. Trond M Døskeland & Helge A Nordahl, 2008. "Intergenerational Effects of Guaranteed Pension Contracts," The Geneva Risk and Insurance Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics (The Geneva Association), vol. 33(1), pages 19-46, June.
    12. Chen, An & Hieber, Peter & Nguyen, Thai, 2019. "Constrained non-concave utility maximization: An application to life insurance contracts with guarantees," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 273(3), pages 1119-1135.
    13. Ruß, Jochen & Schelling, Stefan, 2021. "Return smoothing in life insurance from a client perspective," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(PA), pages 91-106.
    14. Daliana Luca & Hato Schmeiser & Florian Schreiber, 2023. "Investment guarantees in financial products: an analysis of consumer preferences," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 48(4), pages 906-940, October.
    15. Branger, Nicole & Mahayni, Antje & Schneider, Judith C., 2010. "On the optimal design of insurance contracts with guarantees," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 485-492, June.
    16. Ilja Boelaars & Dirk Broeders, 2019. "Fair Pensions," DNB Working Papers 630, Netherlands Central Bank, Research Department.
    17. Marcos Escobar-Anel & Andreas Lichtenstern & Rudi Zagst, 2020. "Behavioral portfolio insurance strategies," Financial Markets and Portfolio Management, Springer;Swiss Society for Financial Market Research, vol. 34(4), pages 353-399, December.
    18. Broeders, Dirk & Chen, An, 2010. "Pension regulation and the market value of pension liabilities: A contingent claims analysis using Parisian options," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 1201-1214, June.
    19. Naijun Hu, 2018. "The Misunderstanding of Social Insurance: The Inadequacy of the Basic Pension Insurance for Urban Employees (BPIUE) for the Aging Population of China," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-16, May.
    20. Gatzert, Nadine, 2019. "An analysis of transaction costs in participating life insurance under mean–variance preferences," Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 185-197.
    21. Antje Mahayni & Judith C. Schneider, 2016. "Minimum return guarantees, investment caps, and investment flexibility," Review of Derivatives Research, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 85-111, July.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G13 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Contingent Pricing; Futures Pricing
    • G22 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Insurance; Insurance Companies; Actuarial Studies

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