You already know about behavioral finance. Loss aversion, anchoring, confirmation bias — these terms have been part of the investment conversation for over 50 years. And yet here's the uncomfortable truth: most investors are certain these biases happen to other people. That certainty has a name too — the fundamental attribution error — and it may be the most stubborn bias of all, because it convinces us we don't need to look any further.
But look closer at the advice you give every day, and the fingerprints are everywhere.
Why does a client freeze rather than update an estate plan that no longer fits their life? Status quo bias — the quiet conviction that doing nothing is safer than doing something, even when the numbers say otherwise.
Why do smart, capable people agonize over a simple gift? Regret aversion — the fear of waking up tomorrow having made the "wrong" choice, even when there was no wrong choice to make.
These aren't character flaws in your clients. They're wiring. And once you understand the wiring, you can work with it instead of against it — often by doing something as simple as slowing change down, so confidence can catch up with the decision.
Join Mike Ervolini — researcher, author, and one of the sharpest minds translating behavioral science into practical investment guidance — as he pulls back the curtain on the unconscious machinery behind every financial decision.
In this session, you'll discover:
- Why the unconscious mind — not conscious deliberation — is often the real decision-maker
- How emotion isn't the enemy of good decisions, but the mechanism that ranks and selects them
- Why a strong process, applied consistently, outperforms a strong intellect applied inconsistently
- Practical, low-lift ways to upgrade your own decision-making process starting this week
If you've ever wondered why your clients (or you) know the "right" answer and still hesitate — this is the webinar that explains why, and what to do about it.
*CE/CPE Eligible: 1.0 CE credit(s) is(are) available to FEN Members with these designations: CFP, CLU, ChFC, CDFA, and RICP. EA members will earn 1.0 CPE credit(s).
Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this session.
Advanced Preparation: None
Program Level: Basic
Delivery Method: Group Internet Based
NASBA Approved
Financial Experts Network (Sponsor Id#: 145173) is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.
Mr. Ervolini brings over 45 years of executive experience in institutional asset management. For 30 years, he was founder and CEO of two fintech companies: Cabot Investment Technology, which developed behaviorally-based analytics for the global equities market (acquired by FactSet Research Systems, S&P 500), and Charter Research LLC, which developed analytics for the asset-backed fixed income industry (acquired by Standard & Poor's). Earlier, he was an investor and portfolio manager at AEW Capital Management, LP (a subsidiary of Natixis Investment Managers). Throughout his career, he has focused on improving decision-making processes for institutional investors and has written extensively on the subject.
