Personal Recommendations and Portfolio Quality
62 Pages Posted: 18 Jul 2022 Last revised: 2 Jun 2023
Date Written: June 30, 2022
Abstract
Social interactions in finance can lead to better financial outcomes or help propagate financial mistakes. We develop a framework that incorporates two views of social interaction and provide empirical evidence of their relevance in a setting where individuals are personally connected with stronger ties than in an online community. Providing and accepting advice is positively related to portfolio quality but is not driven by high returns. Funds are more likely to be recommended than lottery or attention stocks, leading to increases in portfolio quality. Our evidence suggests that social networks can provide good advice in settings where individuals are personally connected.
Keywords: Social finance, portfolio choice, investment behavior, peer effects, household finance
JEL Classification: D14, G11, G40, G50
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation