I'm having trouble seeing why an agent is said to exhibit "prudence" when u'''($\cdot$) > 0. How does having a utility function with a strictly positive third derivative make an agent act "prudently"? Thanks in advance.
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$\begingroup$ Are you aware that prudence is related to the theory of precautionary savings? $\endgroup$ – Herr K. Feb 25 '18 at 20:06
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From the Wikipedia article:
Economists describe a consumer as "prudent" if he or she saves more when faced with riskier future income. This additional saving is called precautionary saving.
For risk averse consumers with thrice differentiable utility $u^{\prime\prime\prime}>0$ is a necessary and sufficient condition for consumers to save more for tomorrow when they are really unsure what is going to happen in the future.
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2$\begingroup$ A reference for "is a necessary and sufficient condition for consumers" would be nice! $\endgroup$ – Giskard Feb 25 '18 at 18:06
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$\begingroup$ This is ratherh close to being a link-only answer. $\endgroup$ – Acccumulation Mar 4 '18 at 20:16
