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Information acquisition and financial advice

Author

Listed:
  • Karakoç, Gülen
  • Pagnozzi, Marco
  • Piccolo, Salvatore
  • Puopolo, Giovanni Walter

Abstract

This study analyzes the incentives for investors to delegate investment decisions to biased financial advisors who can acquire information about multiple risky asset characteristics. We show that the investor limits the amount of wealth a financial advisor can invest on her behalf to prevent unprofitable investment. This cap decreases as the conflict of interest between the investor and advisor widens and may be lower for a better-informed advisor. Although the investor always prefers a better-informed advisor, the advisor may choose to acquire less information to induce the investor to impose a higher cap. Reducing the conflict of interests between the investor and the advisor may not improve financial decisions, as it may discourage the advisor from acquiring more information. Our findings provide implications for policymakers seeking to regulate the delegated portfolio management industry, favoring better investment decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Karakoç, Gülen & Pagnozzi, Marco & Piccolo, Salvatore & Puopolo, Giovanni Walter, 2024. "Information acquisition and financial advice," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:141:y:2024:i:c:s0264999324002487
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2024.106891
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Financial advice; Asset allocation; Delegation; Information acquisition;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth
    • D40 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - General
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness

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