Financial Planning Clients’ Investing Confidence & Knowledge

Financial psychology is at the heart of our product development and ongoing research here at DataPoints. Part of our research program includes examining investor-related characteristics. Our analyses include areas like confidence and composure. Our latest Client FinPsych Report explored the preferences, knowledge, and confidence of over 2,600 financial planning clients between February 2018 and May 2021. The results of this research help to identify areas where advisors can help clients’ improve investing-related decision-making. In other …
The psychology of wealth accumulation is one of our key research areas here at DataPoints. Our research efforts began with a deep analysis of the findings from The Millionaire Next Door. This book demonstrated the habits and lifestyle of those who accumulate wealth on their own, and the key behaviors that allow individuals to transform income into wealth were confirmed in The Next Millionaire Next Door. This body of research, as well as research from other …
The phenomenon of the “sunk-cost” bias or fallacy is often discussed in the context of investing behaviors to refer to a mindset where we hang on to a perpetually under-performing investment as a result of our attachment to and focus upon the amount we paid for it. Our brain instinctively focuses not on the stock’s objective performance over time, but instead anchors the perception of value around the amount originally paid for the investment. …
What does it take to be a great investor today? If you consider yourself the manager of your household’s finances, or if you’re a financial advisor that believes behavioral coaching and guidance can help clients be financially successful, then you will want to take a look at our latest white paper, Understanding Great Investors: The Competencies of Investing Success. The white paper, which shares the findings from one of our latest studies on investors in the …
We look to financial advisors to help with the technical mechanics of financial planning, but increasingly we look for advisors to help in managing our financial lives; to serve as expert advisors; and to shape our behaviors to ensure that we can meet goals that are critical to us. DataPoints works with advisers that are focused on their clients well-being–many of whom operate under a fiduciary standard that demands that they never fail to …

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