Beyond Greed and Fear: Understanding Behavioral Finance and the Psychology of Investing

Bias, sentiment and personal opinions cloud the judgement of even the best Wall Street investors, so why do most financial decision-making models fail to factor in basic human nature? In this work, a guide to what really influences the decision-making process, Hersh Shefrin applies psychological research to stock selection, financial services, and corporate financial strategy. Through colourful, often real-world examples, Shefrin points out the common mistakes that money managers, security analysts, financial planners, investment bankers and corporate leaders make so that readers gain insights into their own financial decisions.

"This refreshingly iconoclastic book awakens us all to how little we know about financial markets, and how much we have to discover. I particularly enjoyed the reference to the emperor's clothes worn by the mutual fund industry. Shefrin's clear reaffirmation of the fallibility of professional investors will lead even the most impressionable of investors to consider, yet again, the advantages of market indexing strategies."--John Bogle, Founder and Senior Chairman, The Vanguard Group, and author, Common Sense on Mutual Funds "Behavioral finance is about normal people and the markets that drive them crazy. Shefrin's insights into these people and markets will provide you with solutions to many financial puzzles--as you read the book and long after you close it."--Meir Statman, Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University "Beyond Greed and Fear challenges your most fundamental assumptions about investing and uncovers psychological traps that may prevent you from achieving higher returns on your portfolio."--Martin S. Fridson, Managing Director, Merrill Lynch & Co., and author, How to Be a Billionaire "Shefrin synthesizes a wealth of research and observations about human behavior and financial anomalies into a broad and deep perspective on financial markets. No other book so splendidly lays out the fundamentals of behavioral finance."--Robert Shiller, Stanley B. Resor Professor of Economics, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University "Beyond Greed and Fear is the first truly comprehensive behavioral finance book written for practitioners. It should be required reading for portfolio managers and traders."--W. Van Harlow III, President and CIO, Strategic Advisors, Fidelity Investments "This refreshingly iconoclastic book awakens us all to how little we know about financial markets, and how much we have to discover. I particularly enjoyed the reference to the emperor's clothes worn by the mutual fund industry. Shefrin's clear reaffirmation of the fallibility of professional investors will lead even the most impressionable of investors to consider, yet again, the advantages of market indexing strategies."--John Bogle, Founder and Senior Chairman, The Vanguard Group, and author, Common Sense on Mutual Funds "Behavioral finance is about normal people and the markets that drive them crazy. Shefrin's insights into these people and markets will provide you with solutions to many financial puzzles--as you read the book and long after you close it."--Meir Statman, Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University "Beyond Greed and Fear challenges your most fundamental assumptions about investing and uncovers psychological traps that may prevent you from achieving higher returns on your portfolio."--Martin S. Fridson, Managing Director, Merrill Lynch & Co., and author, How to Be a Billionaire "Shefrin synthesizes a wealth of research and observations about human behavior and financial anomalies into a broad and deep perspective on financial markets. No other book so splendidly lays out the fundamentals of behavioral finance."--Robert Shiller, Stanley B. Resor Professor of Economics, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University "Beyond Greed and Fear is the first truly comprehensive behavioral finance book written for practitioners. It should be required reading for portfolio managers and traders."--W. VanHarlow III, President and CIO, Strategic Advisors, Fidelity Investments "This refreshingly iconoclastic book awakens us all to how little we know about financial markets, and how much we have to discover. I particularly enjoyed the reference to the emperor's clothes worn by the mutual fund industry. Shefrin's clear reaffirmation of the fallibility of professional investors will lead even the most impressionable of investors to consider, yet again, the advantages of market indexing strategies."--John Bogle, Founder and Senior Chairman, The Vanguard Group, and author, Common Sense on Mutual Funds "Behavioral finance is about normal people and the markets that drive them crazy. Shefrin's insights into these people and markets will provide you with solutions to many financial puzzles--as you read the book and long after you close it."--Meir Statman, Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University "Beyond Greed and Fear challenges your most fundamental assumptions about investing and uncovers psychological traps that may prevent you from achieving higher returns on your portfolio."--Martin S. Fridson, Managing Director, Merrill Lynch & Co., and author, How to Be a Billionaire "Shefrin synthesizes a wealth of research and observations about human behavior and financial anomalies into a broad and deep perspective on financial markets. No other book so splendidly lays out the fundamentals of behavioral finance."--Robert Shiller, Stanley B. Resor Professor of Economics, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University "Beyond Greed and Fear is the first truly comprehensive behavioral finance book written for practitioners. It should berequired reading for portfolio managers and traders."--W. Van Harlow III, President and CIO, Strategic Advisors, Fidelity Investments "This refreshingly iconoclastic book awakens us all to how little we know about financial markets, and how much we have to discover. I particularly enjoyed the reference to the emperor's clothes worn by the mutual fund industry. Shefrin's clear reaffirmation of the fallibility of professional investors will lead even the most impressionable of investors to consider, yet again, the advantages of market indexing strategies."--John Bogle, Founder and Senior Chairman, The Vanguard Group, and author, Common Sense on Mutual Funds "Behavioral finance is about normal people and the markets that drive them crazy. Shefrin's insights into these people and markets will provide you with solutions to many financial puzzles--as you read the book and long after you close it."--Meir Statman, Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University "Beyond Greed and Fear challenges your most fundamental assumptions about investing and uncovers psychological traps that may prevent you from achieving higher returns on your portfolio."--Martin S. Fridson, Managing Director, Merrill Lynch & Co., and author, How to Be a Billionaire "Shefrin synthesizes a wealth of research and observations about human behavior and financial anomalies into a broad and deep perspective on financial markets. No other book so splendidly lays out the fundamentals of behavioral finance."--Robert Shiller, Stanley B. Resor Professor of Economics, Cowles Foundation for Research in Economics, Yale University "Beyond Greed and Fear is the first truly comprehensive behavioral finance book written for practitioners. It should be required reading for portfolio managers and traders."--W.Van Harlow III, President and CIO, Strategic Advisors, Fidelity Investments