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The decision to seek advice in the self-directed retirement fund industry

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  • George Mihaylov
  • Alfred Yawson
  • Ralf Zurbruegg

Abstract

This article examines the influence of investor knowledge and the cognitive bias that arises from overconfidence on the advice-seeking behaviour of investors managing their own retirement funds. Specifically, we trace whether overestimating one's own technical and financial abilities can hinder the willingness to seek advice, particularly when it would be in the investors' best interest to do so. We identify a subset of investors who are not knowledgeable and yet do not seek advice. These investors exhibit overconfidence in their ability to manage a fund, despite holding under-diversified and less sophisticated portfolios relative to their peers. Given the global rise in investors choosing to manage their own retirement funds and the importance of seeking advice in this context, there are direct policy implications from these results. They suggest a need to identify and target investors who display overconfidence since they are most likely to be managing underperforming retirement investments in the longer term.

Suggested Citation

  • George Mihaylov & Alfred Yawson & Ralf Zurbruegg, 2015. "The decision to seek advice in the self-directed retirement fund industry," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(32), pages 3367-3381, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:47:y:2015:i:32:p:3367-3381
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2015.1013620
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    2. Hyungkee Young Baek & David D. Cho, 2022. "Overconfidence and risky investment choices," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 42(4), pages 2267-2278.
    3. Paul Gerrans & Anthony Asher & Joanne Kaa Earl, 2022. "Cognitive functioning, financial literacy, and judgment in older age," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(S1), pages 1637-1674, April.

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