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Confidence, financial literacy and investment in risky assets: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances

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Listed:
  • Andrej Cupak

    (National Bank of Slovakia)

  • Pirmin Fessler
  • Joanne W. Hsu
  • Piotr R. Paradowski

Abstract

We employ recent Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) microdata from the US to analyze the impacts of confidence in one’s own financial knowledge, confidence in the economy, and objective financial literacy on investment in risky financial assets (equity and bonds) on both the extensive and intensive margins. Controlling for a rich set of covariates including risk aversion, we find that objective financial literacy is positively related to investment in risky assets as well as debt securities. Moreover, confidence in own financial skills additionally increases the probability of holding risky assets and bonds. While these relationships are rather robust for the extensive margin, they break down with regard to the conditional share of financial wealth in risky assets of those who actually hold them. The relevance of financial literacy as well as confidence varies considerably with the distribution of wealth as well as across several socio-economic dimensions such as age, education and race.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrej Cupak & Pirmin Fessler & Joanne W. Hsu & Piotr R. Paradowski, 2020. "Confidence, financial literacy and investment in risky assets: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances," Working and Discussion Papers WP 4/2020, Research Department, National Bank of Slovakia.
    • Handle: RePEc:svk:wpaper:1072
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    Cited by:

    1. Cupák, Andrej & Fessler, Pirmin & Schneebaum, Alyssa, 2021. "Gender differences in risky asset behavior: The importance of self-confidence and financial literacy," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    2. Davis, J. Scott & van Wincoop, Eric, 2024. "A theory of capital flow retrenchment," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    3. Zuzana Brokesova & Andrej Cupak & Anthony Lepinteur & Marian Rizov, 2021. "Wealth, Assets and Life Satisfaction: A Metadata Instrumental-Variable Approach," Working and Discussion Papers WP 4/2021, Research Department, National Bank of Slovakia.
    4. Neil Bhutta & Jacqueline Blair & Lisa J. Dettling, 2021. "The Smart Money is in Cash? Financial Literacy and Liquid Savings Among U.S. Families," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2021-076, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    5. Steffen Meyer & Michaela Pagel, 2022. "Fully Closed: Individual Responses to Realized Gains and Losses," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 77(3), pages 1529-1585, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    financial literacy; confidence; risky assets; household finance; survey data; US;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions

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