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Trust and Delegated Investing: A Money Doctors Experiment

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  • Weber, Martin
  • Germann, Maximilian
  • Loos, Benjamin

Abstract

A recent theory by Gennaioli, Shleifer, and Vishny (2015) proposes that trust is an important component for delegated investing. This paper tests the theory in a laboratory experiment. Participants first play a trust game. Participants then act as investors who have to make two separate, delegated investment decisions. Using the amount returned in the trust game as measure of trustworthiness, we show that investors are willing to take substantially more risk when a money manager is more trustworthy, even if this manager charges higher costs. The willingness to take more risk and pay higher costs is increasing in the difference in trustworthiness of the two money managers. This finding is robust to different specifications of the difference in trustworthiness.

Suggested Citation

  • Weber, Martin & Germann, Maximilian & Loos, Benjamin, 2018. "Trust and Delegated Investing: A Money Doctors Experiment," CEPR Discussion Papers 12984, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:12984
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Lenz, Guido & Mayer, Maximilian, 2023. "Hollywood, Wall Street, and Mistrusting Individual Investors," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 117-138.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Trust; Money doctor; Investment decision; Risk aversion;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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