Abstract
Financial consumers can invest their financial assets directly or indirectly. This investment type have effect on their financial well-being and may be influenced by their financial characteristics and investment attitude. The purposes of the study were to classify the consumers by direct and indirect investment behavior of their financial assets and to investigate their socio-economic characteristics and investment attitudes to give implications for financial counseling and education. The data came from the 2009 Fund Investors Survey which was conducted by Korea Investors Protection Foundation. Total 2,530 consumers were analyzed using frequency, CROSSTAB, ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range test. In general, consumer tended to be rational in choosing the investment type. Noninvestors consisted of 38.5% of the sample. The economic level was the lowest for the noninvestors. The consumers who invest both indirectly and directly consisted of 21.0% and their economic level was the highest. Their investment tendency was between direct and indirect investors'. The proportion of direct investors ws 12.1% and that of indirect investors was 28.4%. Although the economic levels of indirect investors and direct investors were not statistically different, there were differences in their demographics and investment attitudes. The proportions of those aged 30-39, female and nonmarried were greater for indirect investors. They had the tendency to invest safely and diversely for a long term with reserve money. On the other hand, direct investors tended to be male, married and aged 40-49. They tended to invest intensively for a shorter term and seek returns even with borrowing money.