Financial Decision-Making in Action
People's failure to act is an important problem discussed in behavioral economics and finance. But inappropriate action can also be detrimental. Find out more about the action bias in this post.
Mental Money: The Psychology of Subscription Payment Options
What goes through your head when choosing between different payment options?
Myopic Loss Aversion: A Behavioral Answer to the Equity Premium Puzzle?
Stocks yield much higher returns than bonds and other riskless securities. In fact, in the last 100 years US equities have seen an 8% average annual real return, compared to only a 1% return for more riskless securities. This gap is called the equity premium puzzle – why are equities valued so much higher than securities? One behavioral theory attributes the equity premium puzzle to what’s known as myopic loss aversion (MLA) – the idea that loss-averse investors (as all investors are) take too short-term a view of their investments, leading them to react overly negatively to short-term losses. We designed the first natural field experimental evidence to show that MLA exists for professional traders.
Retirement Planning, Psychology, and Behavioral Economics
Planning our retirement is an endeavour we need to undertake sooner or later. A well thought-out pension plan must be able to ensure our well-being during a long period of professional inactivity. However, a striking finding is that people do not save enough for their retirement. They have difficulties to design a retirement plan tailored to their needs and end up with an insufficient pension income and an impoverished lifestyle. Behavioural economics has pointed out some of the problems that affect retirement planning.
A Nudge for Coverage: Last-Mile Problems for Health Insurance
A variety of case studies demonstrate the powerful combination of data science and behavioral science. Perhaps the health insurance market can benefit as well.
Three Surprising Ways Language Affects Net Worth
It is no secret that the way we speak to others has a strong impact on how we are perceived, and how successful our interactions will be. The lesson from cognitive science is this: When it comes to money, the way we speak to ourselves is equally important.
Why Financial Education Needs a Primer in Behavioral Science
Many people are struggling financially. Figures from the Money Advice Service and DWP show that half of people say that they are worried about their finances, four in 10 people say that they could not easily cover an unexpected bill of £300, and 40% working age people in the UK face inadequate incomes in retirement. [...]