This paper examines the profitability of investing according to environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria in the U.S. and Europe. Based on data from 2003 to 2017, we show that a portfolio long in stocks with the highest ESG scores and short in those with the lowest scores yields a...

This study examines two dimensions of financial sophistication, actual and perceived, (i.e., financial literacy and confidence) and their effects on financial wealth accumulation. We employ a novel identification strategy introduced by Lewbel (2012) which utilizes a heteroscedastic covariance...

This study examines the influence of actual and perceived financial knowledge (i.e., financial literacy and confidence) on financial wealth. We show that consideration of gender and education as moderators helps to uncover intricate effects. Greater financial literacy increases wealth, with...

European index funds and exchange-traded funds underperform their benchmarks by 50 to 150 basis points per annum. The explanatory power of dividend withholding taxes as a determinant of this underperformance is at least at par with fund expenses. Dividend taxes also explain performance...

European index funds and exchange-traded funds underperform their benchmarks by 50 to 150 basis points per annum. The explanatory power of dividend withholding taxes as a determinant of this underperformance is at least at par with fund expenses. Dividend taxes also explain performance...

Previous published studies document price differences between principal and coupon strips although both securities promise identical cash flows at maturity. This paper gauges the economic significance of this apparent anomaly and investigates if holders of the higher-priced strips can exploit...

We investigate the capital-protection property of inflation-linked bonds in an international context over the period 2012 to 2022. Inflation-linked bonds compensate domestic investors for loss of local purchasing power. Whether the bonds protect foreign investors effectively depends on the...