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Retirement savings investment choices in response to the global financial crisis: Australian evidence

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  • Paul Gerrans

Abstract

This paper examines the retirement savings investment choices of Australian workers over a three-year period, including the global financial crisis (GFC), based on a large sample of members drawn from five superannuation funds. The overwhelming majority of members did not change their investment strategy in response to the GFC. Between October 2006 and March 2009 less than seven per cent of members did so. The likelihood of making a change increased with member balance and contributions levels. During the GFC period women with large balances were more likely to make a change, a result which contrasts with the bulk of prior evidence suggesting males as the more active. The level of change activity did increase during the GFC peaking in October 2008, the month with the largest market downturn, and March 2009, when the market reached its low point. The implications for both members and funds of the observed investment choice behaviour are discussed.

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  • Paul Gerrans, 2012. "Retirement savings investment choices in response to the global financial crisis: Australian evidence," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 37(3), pages 415-439, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ausman:v:37:y:2012:i:3:p:415-439
    DOI: 10.1177/0312896212450041
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Gerrans, Paul & Yap, Ghialy, 2014. "Retirement savings investment choices: Sophisticated or naive?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 233-250.
    2. Linnenluecke, Martina K. & Chen, Xiaoyan & Ling, Xin & Smith, Tom & Zhu, Yushu, 2017. "Research in finance: A review of influential publications and a research agenda," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 188-199.
    3. Su (Sally) Gan & Richard Heaney & Paul Gerrans, 2015. "Individual investor portfolio performance in retirement savings accounts," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 40(4), pages 652-671, November.
    4. Wei-Ting Pan, 2016. "The Impact of Mandatory Savings on Life Cycle Consumption and Portfolio Choice," PhD Thesis, Finance Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, number 32, July-Dece.
    5. Gerrans, Paul & Moulang, Carly & Feng, Jun & Strydom, Maria, 2018. "Individual and peer effects in retirement savings investment choices," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 150-165.
    6. Shumi Akhtar & Maria Jahromi & Tom Smith, 2017. "Impact of the global financial crisis on Islamic and conventional stocks and bonds," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 57(3), pages 623-655, September.
    7. Jason Nassios & James A. Giesecke & Peter B. Dixon & Maureen T. Rimmer, 2016. "Superannuation and Macroeconomic Growth and Stability," Centre of Policy Studies/IMPACT Centre Working Papers g-267, Victoria University, Centre of Policy Studies/IMPACT Centre.
    8. Linnenluecke, Martina K. & Chen, Xiaoyan & Ling, Xin & Smith, Tom & Zhu, Yushu, 2016. "Emerging trends in Asia-Pacific finance research: A review of recent influential publications and a research agenda," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 66-76.
    9. Wei-Ting Pan, 2016. "The Impact of Mandatory Savings on Life Cycle Consumption and Portfolio Choice," PhD Thesis, Finance Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, number 2-2016.

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