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Are Older People Aware of Their Cognitive Decline? Misperception and Financial Decision-Making

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  • Fabrizio Mazzonna
  • Franco Peracchi

Abstract

We investigate whether older people correctly perceive their cognitive decline and the potential financial consequences of misperception. First, we show that older people tend to underestimate their cognitive decline. We then show that those experiencing a severe decline but unaware of it are more likely to suffer wealth losses. These losses largely reflect decreases in financial wealth and are mainly experienced by wealthier people who were previously active on the stock market. Our findings support the view that financial losses among older people unaware of their cognitive decline are the result of bad financial decisions, not of rational disinvestment strategies.

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  • Fabrizio Mazzonna & Franco Peracchi, 2024. "Are Older People Aware of Their Cognitive Decline? Misperception and Financial Decision-Making," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 132(6), pages 1793-1830.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/728697
    DOI: 10.1086/728697
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models

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