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Do more financially literate households invest less in housing? Evidence from Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Riccardo Calcagno

    (EM Lyon Business School and CeRP, Collegio Carlo Alberto)

  • Maria Cesira Urzi Brancati

    (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and CeRP-Collegio Carlo Alberto)

Abstract

Using the Bank of Italy's Survey of Households Income and Wealth (SHIW) covering a 5-year panel, we measure the impact of the degree of households' financial literacy on the quota of housing investment in their portfolio. We find that households with higher levels of financial literacy hold a relatively lower share of illiquid wealth, and the results are more pronounced at older ages, when according to the lifecycle hypothesis they are meant to decumulate their wealth.

Suggested Citation

  • Riccardo Calcagno & Maria Cesira Urzi Brancati, 2014. "Do more financially literate households invest less in housing? Evidence from Italy," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 34(1), pages 430-445.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-13-00508
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Mariacristina Rossi & Dario Sansone, 2018. "Precautionary savings and the self-employed," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 105-127, June.
    2. Marianna Brunetti & Costanza Torricelli, 2012. "Second Homes: Households' Life Dream or (Wrong) Investment?," CEIS Research Paper 351, Tor Vergata University, CEIS, revised 04 Aug 2012.
    3. Marianna Brunetti & Costanza Torricelli, 2012. "Second Homes: Households' Life Dream or (Wrong) Investment?," CEIS Research Paper 351, Tor Vergata University, CEIS, revised 04 Aug 2012.
    4. Asmare, Fissha & Giedraitis, Vincentas & Jaraitė, Jūratė & Kažukauskas, Andrius, 2023. "Energy-related financial literacy and retrofits of Soviet-era apartment buildings: The case of Lithuania," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial literacy; intertemporal choice; housing.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • D9 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics

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