This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

How Much Is Investor Autonomy Worth?

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Shlomo Benartzi (Anderson School at UCLA,)
Richard H. Thaler (University of Chicago)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

There is a worldwide trend towards defined contribution savings plans, where investors are often able to select their own portfolios. How much is this freedom of choice worth? We present retirement investors with information about the distribution of outcomes they could expect to obtain from the portfolios they picked for themselves, and the same information for the median portfolio selected by their peers. A majority of our survey participants actually prefer the median portfolio to the one they picked for themselves. We investigate various explanations for these findings and offer some evidence that the results are partly attributable to the fact that investors do not have well-defined preferences. Copyright The American Finance Association 2002.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/servlet/useragent?func=synergy&synergyAction=showTOC&journalCode=jofi&volume=57&issue=4&year=2002&part=null
File Format: text/html
File Function: link to full text
Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.

Publisher Info
Article provided by American Finance Association in its journal The Journal of Finance.

Volume (Year): 57 (2002)
Issue (Month): 4 (08)
Pages: 1593-1616
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:bla:jfinan:v:57:y:2002:i:4:p:1593-1616

Contact details of provider:
Web page: http://www.afajof.org/
More information through EDIRC

Order Information:
Web: http://www.afajof.org/membership/join.asp

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Christopher F. Baum).

Related research
Keywords:

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Zur Shapira & Itzhak Venezia, 2007. "On the Preference for Full-Coverage Policies: Why do People buy too much Insurance?," Levine's Bibliography 122247000000001505, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  2. Maarten C.J. van Rooij & Clemens J.M. Kool & Henriette M. Prast, 2004. "Risk-return preferences in the pension domain: are people able to choose?," Working Papers 05-04, Utrecht School of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Dennis Dittrich & Werner Güth & Boris Maciejovsky, 2005. "Overconfidence in investment decisions: An experimental approach," European Journal of Finance, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 11(6), pages 471-491, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Sumit Agarwal & John C. Driscoll & Xavier Gabaix & David Laibson, 2007. "The Age of Reason: Financial Decisions Over the Lifecycle," NBER Working Papers 13191, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Gerlinde Fellner & Werner Güth & Boris Maciejovsky, 2001. "Illusion of Expertise in Portfolio Decisions - An Experimental Approach -," Papers on Strategic Interaction 2001-02, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Strategic Interaction Group. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Nicolas Aubert, 2006. "Understanding Employer's Stock Holdings in the French Company Savings Plans Using the Literature on the American 401(k) plans," Post-Print halshs-00188518_v1, HAL. [Downloadable!]
  7. James J. Choi & David Laibson & Brigitte C. Madrian & Andrew Metrick, 2002. "Defined Contribution Pensions: Plan Rules, Participant Decisions, and the Path of Least Resistance," JCPR Working Papers 257, Northwestern University/University of Chicago Joint Center for Poverty Research.
    Other versions:
  8. Jeffrey Bailey & John Nofsinger & Michele O'Neill, 2003. "A Review of Major Influences on Employee Retirement Investment Decisions," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 149-165, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. James Sundali & Federico Guerrero, 2006. "Managing a 401(k) Account: An Experiment on Asset Allocation," Working Papers 06-017, University of Nevada, Reno, Department of Economics & University of Nevada, Reno , Department of Resource Economics. [Downloadable!]
  10. Marilyn Clark-Murphy & Paul Gerrans & Craig Speelman, 2009. "Return Chasing as a Driver in Individual Retirement Savings Investment Choices: Evidence from Australia," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 30(1), pages 4-19, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Ivo Vlaev & Nick Chater & Neil Stewart, 2007. "Relativistic financial decisions: Context effects on retirement saving and investment risk preferences," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 2, pages 292-311, October. [Downloadable!]
  12. Zur Shapira & Itzhak Venezia, 2007. "On the Preference for Full-Coverage Policies: Why do People buy too much Insurance?," Discussion Paper Series dp460, Center for Rationality and Interactive Decision Theory, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. [Downloadable!]
  13. Henrik Cronqvist & Richard H. Thaler, 2004. "Design Choices in Privatized Social-Security Systems: Learning from the Swedish Experience," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(2), pages 424-428, May. [Downloadable!]
  14. Richard H. Thaler & Cass R. Sunstein, 2003. "Libertarian Paternalism," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(2), pages 175-179, May. [Downloadable!]
  15. James J. Choi & David Laibson & Brigitte C. Madrian & Andrew Metrick, 2004. "Saving or Retirement on the Path of Least Resistance," Levine's Bibliography 122247000000000606, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  16. James J. Choi & David Laibson & Brigitte C. Madrian, 2004. "Plan Design and 401(k) Savings Outcomes," NBER Working Papers 10486, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Allard Bruinshoofd & Sybille Grob, 2006. "Do changes in pension incentives affect retirement? A stated preferences approach to Dutch retirement consideration," DNB Working Papers 115, Netherlands Central Bank, Research Department. [Downloadable!]
  18. Gary Burtless, 2009. "Lessons of the Financial Crisis for the Design of National Pension Systems," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? You can create your own reading lists on IDEAS.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-12.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.