The Impact of Gender, Perceived Knowledge, and Perceived Risk on Retirement Investment Decisions: An Exploratory Study

As consumers have been found to make suboptimal financial decisions, there is a need for marketers to better understand what guides consumers’ investment decisions. The authors examine how consumers utilize perceived knowledge and risk to make retirement investment choices. This study illustrates that increasing levels of perceived financial knowledge and familiarity with retirement planning, in addition to higher levels of financial risk tolerance, resulted in riskier investment decisions. Gender differences were found across variables, such that men reported higher levels of perceived knowledge and risk tolerance, and selected riskier retirement options compared to females.