In this paper we discuss the role of de Finetti as a forerunner of some
of the more relevant concepts and tools of the modern theory of finance. It is shown
that de Finetti gave some ground breaking contributions in such fields as arbitrage
free pricing, mean variance efficiency, expected utility and risk aversion. We think
it is not only a matter of historical remarks: indeed some of his ideas reveal to be
fruitful even nowadays so that going on studying de Finetti’s papers may be a good
investment for those interested in quantitative finance and economics of uncertainty.
