Participants in defined contribution (DC) retirement plans rarely adjust their portfolio allocations, suggesting that their investment choices and consequent money flows are sticky and not discerning. Yet, the participants' inertia could be offset by the DC plan sponsors, who adjust the plan's...

Hedge fund activists have ambiguous relationships with the institutional shareholders in their target firms. While some support their activities, others counter their actions. Due to their relatively small holdings in target firms, the activists typically need the cooperation of other...

We examine the effect of investors' prior experience with mutual fund families on their subsequent investment decisions. Using a sample from a large discount broker, we find that investors are significantly more likely to purchase funds from families with which they have previous experience. Our...

Molecular genetic endowments related to cognition, personality, health, and body shape, established at least half a century prior, predict an individual's risk aversion, beliefs regarding the distribution of expected equity returns, and equity market participation. We estimate that approximately...

Questions and debate surround institutional investor preferences regarding the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) profiles of their portfolio firms. To address these issues, we examine changes in their portfolios and find that preferences for corporate ESG depend critically on investor...