Though millions of US workers have 401(k) plans, few studies evaluate participant investment performance. Using data on over 1,000 401(k) plans and their participants, we identify key portfolio investment inefficiencies and attribute them to offered investment menus versus individual portfolio...

We hypothesize that when managers do not exercise their options, they signal valuable private information. Accordingly, we construct a proxy to capture managers’ private information from their in-the-money vested options unexercised (VOU) and find a positive relation with subsequent operating...

This study investigates the effect of similarity in risk attitudes between lenders and borrowers on loan contracting. We find that when banks and lenders have similar risk attitudes they are more likely to sign loan contracts. Moreover, such contracts are associated with lower spreads, longer...

This paper investigates how conventional monetary policy shocks influence corporate financing decisions. We find that low-risk firms (i.e., firms with low debt burdens) respond more positively in increasing leverage ratios when the Federal Open Market Committee cuts interest rates. These firms...

One of the dangers of high inflation is that it can cause firms and households to pay close attention to it. This internalization of inflation can lead to an accelerationist regime, making inflation harder to control. We empirically assess the relationship between attention and the level of...