Beyond Greed and Fear
EVEN THE BEST WALL STREET
investors make mistakes. No matter how savvy or experienced, all financial practitioners
eventually let bias, overcon-fidence, and emotion cloud their judgment and misguide their
actions. Yet most financial decision-making models fail to factor in these fundamentals of
human nature. In Beyond Creed and Fear, the most authoritative guide to what really
influences the decision-making process, Hersh Shefrin uses the latest psychological
research to help us understand the human behavior that guides stock selection, financial
services, and corporate financial strategy.
Shefrin argues that financial
practitioners must acknowledge and understand behavioral finance the application of
psychology to financial behavior in order to avoid many of the investment pitfalls caused
by human error. Through colorful, often humorous real-world examples, Shefrin points out
the common but costly mistakes that money managers, security analysts, financial planners,
investment bankers, and corporate
leaders make, so that readers
gain valuable insights into their own financial decisions and those of their employees,
asset managers, and advisors.
According to Shefrin, the
financial community ignores the psychology of investing at its own peril. Beyond Creed and
Fear illuminates behavioral finance for today's investor. It will help practitioners to
recognize and avoid bias and errors in their decisions, and to modify and improve their
overall investment strategy.
Hersh Shefrin holds the Mario
L. Belotti Chair in Finance at the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University.
368 pages