Why do investors invest? Are they "rational" in their decisions? Do experienced investors make investment decisions that are different from those made by novice investors? This paper provides the results of a survey of over 1,000 German investors, which are selected randomly. These investors apparently invest in equity securities for a number of reasons, with the potential for economic gain foremost. However, several other motives are also provided, and in most cases these investors pursued multiple motives.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.