Episode #114: Behavioral Economics With Professor John Howe

When confronted with significant decisions, our thoughts frequently stand in the way of rational decision-making. Today's episode of Grow Money Business features John Howe, a finance professor at the University of Missouri. He is an award-winning educator and researcher with expertise in investments, behavioral economics, household finance, corporate finance, and corporate governance. He is also the author of the book The Foolish Corner: Avoiding Mind Traps in Personal Financial Decisions. Throughout this episode, he shares his expertise and wisdom on behavioral economics, focusing specifically on the behavioral biases we all have regarding investing.

Show Notes

[03:36] Behavioral Economics – Prof. Howe discusses his background, career, and current activities.

[07:23] Kahneman's Nobel Price - Behavioral economics is a field of study that lies at the nexus of economics and psychology. Prof. Howe discusses how the Nobel laureate's teaching of behavioral economics impacts his teachings.

[10:53] Diversified Portfolios – Prof. Howe highlights the importance of diversifying one's investments.

[15:00] Confirmation Bias – Confirmation bias is a term that refers to our natural predisposition to be receptive to new information that confirms our existing beliefs. Prof. Howe explains how confirmation bias affects the decisions we make on a day to day basis.

[20:19] Transitions – Individuals frequently undergo transitions, such as selling a business they have built over the years or acquiring another. Prof. Howe shares his insights on what should be considered during such a transition.

[26:43] More on Biases – Prof. Howe explains the reason behind biases by presenting examples from evolutionary psychology.

[30:00] Reproducibility – One of the trademarks of the scientific method is the ability to replicate an experiment and obtain the same results. Prof. Howe broadly discusses the reproducibility issue in psychological research.

[40:49] Better Decisions - Prof. Howe explains how being well informed on biases can help us making better decisions in the future.

[49:31] The Future - Prof. Howe discusses the current research going in the field, as well as the future of behavioral economics.

[57:59] Research - Prof. Howe shares the current scientific issues that pique his interest.

[01:02:29] Mental Health - Prof. Howe shares his observations concerning the state of mental health in the United States and the way it affects people's financial decisions.

[01:06:28] Gamblers – Prof. Howe outlines his view on gambling and how this relates to the human capacity for pattern recognition

[01:08:52] Books – Prof. Howe shares several books that are worth reading.