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Retirement income planning has emerged as a distinct field within financial planning with the realization that risks change dramatically in retirement. The combination of longevity risk, increasing market risk triggered by taking distributions from assets, and spending shocks create new challenges. Wealth management has traditionally focused on accumulating assets without applying further thought to these differences happening after retirement. Retirees experience reduced capacity to bear financial market risk once they have retired. This calls for different thought processes from those typically included in traditional investment management. Risk pooling becomes an important retirement income tool combined with a traditional investment portfolio. Retirement income challenges and a framework for helping individuals develop more efficient and successful retirement income plans are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a professional designation affects consumer choice behavior within the area of investment decision making. Forty-six participants were endowed with real money and received hypothetical investment advice from a certified financial planner (CFP) Professional and a stockbroker. Among low-income households, advice from a CFP altered investor choice behavior within hypothetical education and retirement savings accounts. When participants made investment decisions using education funds and received advice from a CFP, the mean expected value of their investment choices was $43,913, compared to $25,870 given advice from a stockbroker. When investment decisions were made using retirement funds, the average expected value given advice from a CFP and a stockbroker was $53,424 and $33,207, respectively. If an investor was risk-neutral or risk-seeking, investment choices were improved when advice was rendered by a CFP relative to a stockbroker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A social constructionist perspective was taken in the current investigation of 5,329 male and female high school students. Gender differences were investigated in financial knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavior after studying a financial planning curriculum. Females gained more knowledge on credit, auto insurance, and investments, although males had more knowledge entering the course. Females believed that managing money affected their future more than males, but males felt more confident making money decisions. After studying the curriculum content, males reported achieving financial goals more than females, whereas females reported using budgets, comparing prices, and discussing money with family more than males. In sum, male teens reinforced their existing knowledge, whereas female teens learned significantly more about finances in areas in which they were unfamiliar with prior to the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates investment decision behavior. Specifically, the effects of a person's ‘experienced regret’ and ‘anticipatory regret’ are compared to the effects of an individual's risk tolerance on investment decision behavior. An individual's risk tolerance and ‘experienced regret’ significantly influenced decisions. Anticipation of potential future regret did not predict subsequent investment decision behavior. The experience of regret with a particular type of investment did reduce one's tendency to make a similar investment. The individual's risk tolerance was predictive of participants' investment decision behavior regardless of regret condition. Practical implications of these findings for financial counseling are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates financial risk aversion using an improved measure based on income gambles and rigorously related to optimal portfolio choices. The new measure modifies a previous measure by adding graphical presentations to clarify the impact of different income choices. We compared the measure's responses to those of previous non-graphical versions. To enable comparisons to an established risk measure, we also asked the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) risk tolerance question. Based on responses from 152 students, there is a significant correlation between relative risk aversion estimates based on the new measure and the SCF question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to gain an understanding of Accredited Financial Counselors' characteristics and professional activities, an online survey of Accredited Financial Counselors was conducted from December, 2002 to February, 2003. This paper describes the sociodemographic characteristics of Accredited Financial Counselors, reports the non-AFC financial counseling designations held by Accredited Financial Counselors, and provides a sketch of the contexts in which AFC designees are employed, including the type of employer, the number of counseling sessions typically conducted each week, and the average cost of counseling sessions. Suggestions for the growth and development of the financial counseling profession are offered [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]