We test the effects of advice and trust on risk-taking in three
online experiments designed to elucidate under what
conditions financial advice may increase risk-taking,
irrespective of advisor performance. In our study, investors
made 100 decisions, selecting between one of two alternatives:
risky or conservative. We manipulate the suggestion of an
advisor (risky vs. non-risky investments), the fee of the advice,
as well as the trustworthiness of the advisor (by increasing the
transparency of the advice presented) to test the effect of the
advice on risk-taking. The results show that individuals
asymmetrically follow the advice they received, with a bias
towards following more risky than conservative advice.
Moreover, trusted advice was more persuasive irrespective of
what the advisor suggested and even the fee is higher.