Abstract In this paper, we examine the behavior of subjects in a mock financial investment experiment to investigate the effects of “skin in the game” and ego utility on hedonic information acquisition decisions. We observe how often subjects “check” their portfolios after given general market returns, and whether conditions impact the existence and magnitude of the ostrich effect – the tendency to avoid information expected to be negative. When considering these experiment conditions as well as subject sex, risk aversion, curiosity, financial literacy and investing experience, we do not find an ostrich effect. We do find that females check their portfolios more often on average than males. Finally, we find that risk-averse people will check their portfolios more often, regardless of market returns or sex.

Previous literature has produced mixed findings of a tendency of investors, coined the “ostrich effect” to display a preference for avoiding potentially painful information regarding their portfolios. This paper investigates the presence of the ostrich effect during the 2008/2009 financial crisis via a survey of investors who held portfolios before and through that period. The results demonstrate that most investors do not report any ostrich effect. However, approximately one fourth of investors demonstrated a preference for delaying learning about potentially negative portfolio information, but ultimately chose to learn the information. These findings provide a more nuanced understanding of investors’ behaviors during financial crises and supports a more specific definition of the ostrich effect. Specifically, that some investors prefer a delay in painful information acquisition but do no indefinitely “keep their heads in the sand.”

Bakgrund: 90-talister i Sverige står inför två tuffa val: att arbeta fram till 70–71-års åldereller att offra vissa angelägenheter idag för att kunna spara en relativt stor summa av sinlön till den framtida pensionen. Dagens pensionärer visar ett missnöje för sin ekonomiskasituation och med tanke på de sämre förutsättningarna som föreligger för 90-talister gällerdet att ta tag i pensionsförberedelser i tid för att ha någon chans att uppnå entillfredsställande pensionssituation. Trots det har det visat sig att unga vuxna skjuter framproblemet till framtiden och prioriterar mer kortsiktiga mål, samtidigt som de förväntarsig en tillfredsställande pensionssituation. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att, med utgångspunkt i en analys av de beteendepsykologiskafallgroparna övertro, ostrich effect och influerande av andra, skapa en djupare förståelseför det potentiella gapet mellan 90-talisters pensionsförväntningar och potentiellapensionssituation. Metod: För att uppfylla studiens syfte och få en djupare förståelse för hur debeteendepsykologiska fallgroparna influerar det potentiella gapet valdes en kvalitativmetod med tio semistrukturerade intervjuer. Genom intervjuerna kunde författarna få enbättre insikt i respondenternas subjektiva verklighet. Slutsats: Studien visar att det i många fall finns ett gap mellan pensionsförväntningar ochen potentiell pensionssituation och att faktorer inom de utvalda beteendepsykologiskafallgroparna både kan bidra till ett ökat och minskat gap. Gapet är stort hos majoritetenav respondenterna, på grund av de genomgående höga förväntningarna. Trots attförväntningarna ofta är för höga i jämförelse med respondenternas förutsättningar ochpensionsförberedelser, går det att skilja på ett positivt och negativt gap. Det viktigaste äratt börja spara i tid, och faktorer såsom självförtroende på egen förmåga och att ta hjälpav en finansiell rådgivare främjar ett pensionssparande och bidrar på så sätt till ett positivtgap, medan faktorer som att tro sig vara bättre än andra och prokrastinering hämmaragerandet och bidrar till ett negativt gap. / Background: Young adults in Sweden face two tough choices: to work until the age of70-71 or to sacrifice certain wants today in order to save a relatively large amount of theirsalary for future retirement. Today's pensioners show dissatisfaction with their financialsituation and, given the inferior conditions that exist for young adults, it is important tostart with retirement preparations in time to have any chance of achieving a satisfactorypension situation. Nevertheless, it has been shown that young adults postpone the problemuntil the future and prioritize more short-term goals, while expecting a satisfactoryretirement situation. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to, based on an analysis of the behavioralpsychological bias of overconfidence, ostrich effect and influence of others, create adeeper understanding of the potential gap between young adults’ retirement expectationsand potential retirement situation. Methodology: To fulfill the purpose of the study and gain a deeper understanding of howthe behavioral psychological biases influence the potential gap, a qualitative method withten semi-structured interviews was chosen. Through the interviews, the authors were ableto gain a better insight into the subjective reality of the respondents. Conclusion: The study shows that, in many cases, there is a gap between retirementexpectations and a potential retirement situation and that factors within the selectedbehavioral psychological biases can contribute to both an increased and a decreased gap.The majority of the respondents have a large gap, due to the consistently highexpectations. Despite the fact that the expectations are often too high in comparison withthe respondents’ conditions and retirement preparations, it is possible to distinguishbetween a positive and a negative gap. The most important thing is to start retirementsavings on time, and factors such as self confidence and taking the help of a financialadviser promote retirement saving and thus contribute to a positive gap, while factorssuch as believing oneself to be better than others and procrastination inhibits action andcontributes to a negative gap.

This thesis presents an attempt to find evidence of the ostrich effect and the disposition effect, as well as individual differences in self-assessed financial knowledge and its effect on these biases. The ostrich effect refers to the tendency to deliberately avoid information that might be negative, by "sticking your head in the sand". The disposition effect refers to people who hold on to losing assets too long while selling winning ones too early. The two effects were examined through a natural experiment which emerged from the stock market crash that occurred February 5th, 2018. The data was collected during an internship at Länsförsäkringar AB and originates from the usage of Länsförsäkringar's application Sparnavigatorn, where customers can manage their savings. The customers login activity and number of placed sales orders were observed. The data material is unique, and the study enabled a unique presentation of real life behaviour within a financial context and an analysis of whether individual differences affect behaviour. To our knowledge, neither the ostrich effect nor the disposition effect have earlier been examined through a large scale natural experiment. The results show no significant indication of the ostrich effect, but rather a relatively constant login activity not affected by the stock market crash. Furthermore, they show a contradictory reaction to what the disposition effect suggests, meaning the respondents place more sales orders during the stock market fall than at the time before and after. The results imply that further research needs to be done to either reject or confirm the existence of the ostrich effect and the disposition effect.