Why do older adults avoid seeking financial advice?: Adviser anxiety in the Netherlands
van Dalen,Hendrik Peter Henkens,Kene Hershey,D.A.
van Dalen,Hendrik Peter
Henkens,Kene
Hershey,D.A.
Abstract
Why is it that many people fail to seek retirement planning advice when doing so is clearly indicated? Distrust of financial intermediaries is often presented as the common answer. But this paper shows that trust issues are only part of the answer; an appreciable proportion of individuals experience anxiety at the prospect of visiting a financial adviser. In the present investigation, financial adviser anxiety is studied among 950 Dutch adults over the age of 50. Anxiety levels were measured using a six-item scale that was administered as part of a larger nationwide investigation on retirement attitudes and behaviour. Findings revealed that nearly one-third of respondents reported having moderate to severe levels of anxiety at the prospect of visiting a financial professional. Furthermore, a hierarchical regression analysis revealed that strong predictors of anxiety included one's educational level, income, age, level of future time perspective, risk tolerance, financial knowledge and scepticism regarding whether advice from a financial professional can be trusted. A cluster analysis using demographic and psychological covariates identified three separate groups of older adults that were found to differ in terms of their mean level of anxiety. Those who had low levels of education and low incomes were found to disproportionately display high levels of financial adviser anxiety.
Description
Date
2017-07
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Volume Title
Publisher
Research Projects
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Journal Issue
Keywords
pensions, finance, anxiety, advice, Netherlands, adviser, older adults, G29 - Other, D14 - Household Saving; Personal Finance, SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
Citation
van Dalen, H P, Henkens, K & Hershey, D A 2017, 'Why do older adults avoid seeking financial advice? Adviser anxiety in the Netherlands', Ageing & Society, vol. 37, no. 6, pp. 1268-1290. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X16000222