Dr Seuss' wealth xt at time t evolves as
dtdx=rxt+ℓt−ct
where r>0 is the rate of interest earned, ℓt is his intensity of working (0⩽ℓ⩽1), and ct is his rate of consumption. His initial wealth x0>0 is given, and his objective is to maximize
∫0TU(ct,ℓt)dt
where U(c,ℓ)=cα(1−ℓ)β, and T is the (fixed) time his contract expires. The constants α and β satisfy the inequalities 0<α<1,0<β<1, and α+β>1. At all times, ct must be non-negative, and his final wealth xT must be non-negative. Establish the following properties of the optimal solution (x∗,c∗,ℓ∗) :
(i) βct∗=α(1−ℓt∗);
(ii) ct∗∝e−γrt, where γ≡(β−1+α)−1;
(iii) xt∗=Aert+Be−γrt−r−1 for some constants A and B.
Hence deduce that the optimal wealth is
xt∗=r(erT−e−γrT)(1−e−γrT(1+rx0))ert+((1+rx0)erT−1)e−γrt−r1