Mental Accounting in Portfolio Choice: Evidence from a Flypaper Effect

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2009
Volume: 99
Issue: 5
Pages: 2085-95

Score contribution per author:

2.681 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Consistent with mental accounting, we document that investors sometimes choose the asset allocation for one account without considering the asset allocation of their other accounts. The setting is a firm that changed its 401(k) matching rules. Initially, 401(k) enrollees chose the allocation of their own contributions, but the firm chose the match allocation. These enrollees ignored the match allocation when choosing their own-contribution allocation. In the second regime, enrollees selected both accounts' allocations, leading them to integrate the two. Own-contribution allocations before the rule change equal the combined own- and match-contribution allocations afterward, whereas combined allocations differ sharply across regimes. (JEL G11, J32)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:99:y:2009:i:5:p:2085-95
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25