Shlomo Benartzi

Professor Shlomo Benartzi is a leading authority on behavioural finance with special interests in retirement planning, investor behaviour and behavioural wealth management. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management, and he is currently co-chair of the Behavioural Decision-Making Group at UCLA Anderson. Professor Benartzi is also co-founder of the Behavioral Finance Forum, which is a collective of 40 prominent academics and 40 major financial institutions from around the globe. The Forum's mission is to help consumers make better financial decisions by fostering collaborative research efforts between academics and industry leaders.

Professor Benartzi's most significant research contribution is the development of Save More Tomorrow™ (SMarT), a behavioral prescription designed to help employees increase their savings rates gradually over time. Along with Richard Thaler of the University of Chicago, he was recognized by Money as one of 2004's "Class Acts" for SMarT's success -- increasing savings rates in one plan from 3.5% to 13.6%. The SMarT program is now offered by approximately half the employers in the US and a growing number of employers in Australia and the U.K.

Professor Benartzi has supplemented his academic research with practical experience, serving on the advisory boards of the Alaska State Pension, Fuller and Thaler Asset Management, Guggenheim Partners, Morningstar and the U.S. Department of Labor. He has been voted the 4th most influential person in the industry by the 401kWire.

Professor Benartzi’s presentations are ideal for plan sponsors, financial planners, RIAs, broker dealers, high-net-worth clients, and “behavioral finance entrepreneurs,” among others curious to learn more about the practical applications of behavioral finance. His presentations are dynamic, entertaining, and most importantly, provide real takeaways that will change the way you think.

• 3. Your Money Shrink

  For general consumers and marketing professionals
  
  Why does the average Singaporean household spend more than $3,000 a year on lotteries? Why do many Starbucks regulars in Shanghai spend about half their incomes on a daily latte habit? Why do Santa Monica beach residents, who seem to live in paradise, end up moving away after eight months? Why does our dog walker make more than a doctor? Why do we insure our iPods but not our lives?
  
  This presentation not only highlights common money mistakes, it also offers money tricks to help consumers make better financial decisions based on lessons from behavioral finance.

• 2. Eight Principles That Influence Investor Behavior

  For financial advisors and their high net worth clients
  
  Why do individual investors overestimate their past returns and their skills as money managers? Why do men lose more than women in the stock market? Why do reckless drivers trade excessively? Why do graphic designers end up influencing the number of investment funds we pick? Why do investors consistently buy high and sell low?
  
  This presentation outlines eight behavioral principles that can help you understand your clients and improve their financial lives.

• 1. Hot Topics in Behavioral Finance

  For financial professionals and the retirement plan industry
  
  How did investors react to the financial tsunami? Do retirement plan participants buy high and sell low? Where do supermarket employees get investment advice and guidance (hint: the butcher!)? Could our love of lotteries be used to help people save more? Why are most retirement income solutions not selling?
  
  This presentation covers the latest research on behavioral finance and turns it into practical information for financial and retirement industry professionals.

• Professor Shlomo Benartzi has the unique talent of taking complicated research findings and turning them into a lively, thought-provoking discussion of investor behavior. We have hired Shlomo several times to speak to groups within our organization as well as with clients. His presentations are always well received and audience members walk away with practical applications. My organization has benefited greatly from his approach, even tailoring our products to better incorporate what he has taught us about the behavioral tendencies of our customers.
  T. Rowe Price
• Shlomo Benartzi offers an insightful look at consumer behavior that goes beyond what you can read in a book or learn at a seminar. He applies research findings to actual consumer situations to show how better designed products can lead to satisfied customers and higher profits. Even better, he makes it entertaining too. Shlomo is a dynamic presenter who shares his enthusiasm for understanding consumer behavior with the audience. Following his presentations, audience members are filled with ideas for applying the information to their real-world challenges. He gets all of us thinking smarter, and inspires us to use what we learn to enhance our lives – both personal and professional – in significant ways.
  AXA Asia Pacific