Comparing meaningful data is important when investing, but what if the data is unintentionally skewed?
A Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Ph.D. student studied how comparable metrics create a false sense of investing confidence and can ultimately cost the bottom line. She presented the findings at the Behavioral Decision Research in Management (BDRM) conference at Cornell Tech on June 15, 2026.
Lauren Frederick found that a false sense of comprehension may impact investing prowess of non-professional investors, also known as retail investors.
Armed with an investing app of their choice and seemingly comparable environmental, social and governance (ESG) data, investors may think they’re supporting companies they’re morally aligned with. However, a consequence of aggregated data is often a lack of specificity.
“We’re the first study to look at the…
