Does Sophistication Affect Long-Term Return Expectations? Evidence from Financial Advisers’ Exam Scores
SAFE Working Paper No. 3
50 Pages Posted: 1 Feb 2013
There are 2 versions of this paper
An Optimist Gets the Job Done? Financial Advisers’ Sophistication and Stock Return Expectations
Date Written: January 22, 2013
Abstract
We use unique data from financial advisers’ professional exam scores and combine it with other variables to create an index of financial sophistication. Using this index to explain long-term stock return expectations, we find that more sophisticated financial advisers tend to have lower return expectations. A one standard deviation increase in the sophistication index reduces expected returns by 1.1 percentage points. The effect is stronger for emerging market stocks (2.3 percentage points). The sophistication effect contributes 60% to the model fit, while employer fixed effects combined contribute less than 30%. These results help understand the formation of potentially excessively optimistic expectations.
Keywords: stock return expectations, sophistication, financial literacy, adviser
JEL Classification: D84, G11, G24
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation