Racial differences in investor decision making

Racial differences in investment behavior are investigated using data from the 1995 Survey of Consumer Finances. Socioeconomic, financial, and attitudinal variables are incorporated in a life-cycle savings model. The impact of all variables is allowed to differ between Black households and White households to understand racial differences in risky asset ownership. We determine that observed racial differences in risky asset ownership are explained by racial differences in the individual determinants of risky asset ownership, not by race in and of itself. Specifically, these differences seem to center on the impact of children and household size.