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Investment competence and advice seeking

Author

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  • Bachmann, Kremena
  • Hens, Thorsten

Abstract

This study evaluates individuals’ abilities to avoid investment mistakes driven by behavioral biases and analyzes the relationship between investment competence and the propensity to seek or rely on professional advice. We use novel survey data collected from a representative sample of Swiss households. We find that–even after controlling for socio-economic and demographic characteristics–investment competence is positively related to demand for financial advice. It appears that investors who are at the highest risk of making investment mistakes are those who are the least likely to seek help from professional advisors. Therefore, supply-side solutions imposed by regulators to protect financial customers may not benefit those who need them most.

Suggested Citation

  • Bachmann, Kremena & Hens, Thorsten, 2015. "Investment competence and advice seeking," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 6(C), pages 27-41.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:beexfi:v:6:y:2015:i:c:p:27-41
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbef.2015.03.001
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    Cited by:

    1. Dorfleitner, Gregor & Fischer, Lukas & Lung, Carina & Willmertinger, Philipp & Stang, Nico & Dietrich, Natalie, 2018. "To follow or not to follow – An empirical analysis of the returns of actors on social trading platforms," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 160-171.
    2. repec:gei:journl:v:2:y:2017:i:2:p:145-164 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Matthias Stefan & Martin Holmén & Felix Holzmeister & Michael Kirchler & Erik Wengström, 2022. "You can’t always get what you want—An experiment on finance professionals' decisions for others," Working Papers 2022-02, Faculty of Economics and Statistics, Universität Innsbruck.
    4. Muhammad Anwar, Sher Zaman Khan, Amin Ur Rehman, 2017. "Financial Literacy, Behavioral Biases and Investor's Portfolio Diversification: Empirical Study of an Emerging Stock Market," Journal of Finance and Economics Research, Geist Science, Iqra University, Faculty of Business Administration, vol. 2(2), pages 144-163, October.
    5. Hsu, Yuan-Lin, 2022. "Financial advice seeking and behavioral bias," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PB).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial literacy; Behavioral biases; Demand for financial advice; Household finance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

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