The aim of this research was to examine the investment behaviour of the middle income class households in Nagpur. The rationale behind choosing this research topic is the premise that the middle class in India has gained attention of the economists, policy makers & the marketers, as still there...

I solve the life-cycle portfolio allocation problem of a disappointment averse (DA) agent. DA agents overweight disappointing outcomes. Unlike expected utility investors, DA investors drastically cut their allocation to stocks around retirement due to a distinct effect associated with the drop...

We conduct and analyze two large surveys of hypothetical annuitization choices. We find that allowing individuals to annuitize a fraction of their wealth increases annuitization relative to a situation where annuitization is an "all or nothing" decision. Very few respondents choose declining...

Though risk attitude is central to economics and finance, relatively little is known about how it is formed and how it changes over time. Based on US data from a dedicated psycho-social module on lifestyle of the 2010 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), we provide new evidence on the correlation...

Financial literacy and the need to improve it are getting more attention as a result of the economic crisis. The effectiveness of the programmes that target the improvement of financial literacy depends on knowing what factors influence people’s financial knowledge. This is exactly the reason...

For standard economic models it is typically assumed that preferences are given and stable. But do economic systems shape individuals' risk preferences? Using the reunification of East and West Germany as a natural experiment I evaluate differences in financial risk taking comparing Eastern and...

Financial literacy is the knowledge and skills required to manage one's financial resources effectively. Financial literacy is more important than ever in today’s fast-paced world, especially for the younger generation. The younger generation in India is a crucial demographic group that is...

Our experiments evaluate the role of information presentation in reducing violations of the Law of One Price in individual investor selection of index mutual funds. The results indicate that most individuals fail to minimize fees. However, individuals allocate nearly 27% (43%) more of their...

While the advice to remain invested during times of extreme market stress is all too popular, some clients find it hard to adhere to this advice. Preventing clients from abandoning a well-designed investment plan in times of market stress is one of the most important duties of a financial...

This paper examines heterogeneity in the responsiveness to default options in a large state retirement plan, focusing on individuals' decision-making approaches as well as their economic and demographic characteristics. Using a survey of plan participants, we find that procrastination and the...