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In the normal mean proportional to standard deviation model, both $\overline{X}$ and $S$ estimate the positive statistical parameter $\mu$. Their independent limiting normal distributions have rescaled variances ${\mu }^2$ and ${\mu }^2/2$, respectively, by asymptotic normality of a normal sample standard deviation. Thus for fixed $w\in \mathbb{R}$,The bracket is $3(w-1/3{)}^2/2+1/3$, minimized uniquely at $w=1/3$. Hence $(\overline{X}+2S)/3$ has leading sampling variance ${\mu }^2/(3n)$, the inverse expected Fisher information. The result is first-order optimality within these fixed-weight combinations and does not assert that $S$ is an exactly unbiased estimator.

Put $A={\sum }_i{x}_i$, $B={\sum }_i{x}_i^2$ and $M_2=B/n$. The normal distribution model givesand, up to a constant independent of $\mu$, its log-likelihood function isThe score function and its zero equation areFor $B>0$, this quadratic equation has exactly one positive root, giving the maximum-likelihood estimatorThe numerator $B-A\mu -n{\mu }^2$ of the score function is positive between its negative and positive roots and negative above its positive root. Thus the likelihood function increases up to $\hat{\mu }$ and decreases afterwards: this is its unique global maximum on $(0,\infty )$. Also, $\ell (\mu )\to -\infty$ at both ends. The all-zero observation vector has probability zero; on that exceptional vector $L(\mu )\propto {\mu }^{-n}$ and there is no attained maximum.

The second derivative and the relevant moments areTherefore the expected Fisher information isThe support of a probability distribution is the whole real line, independent of the positive statistical parameter. The law of large numbers gives $\overline{X}\to \mu$ and $M_2\to 2{\mu }^2$ in probability, so the displayed maximum-likelihood estimator is a consistent estimator. The regular asymptotic normality of a maximum likelihood estimator now yieldsThus the requested leading asymptotic variance on the unscaled estimator's scale is ${\mu }^2/(3n)$. The normal mean proportional to standard deviation model provides a reusable version of this calculation.