Scott Weisbenner
Professor of Finance and James F. Towey Faculty Fellow
Education
Ph.D.
Economics,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
1999.
B.A.
Economics and Mathematics,
University of Wisconsin,
1995.
Research Interests
Weisbenner’s research studies household portfolio decisions and the financial and operational decisions made by corporate executives and other institutional managers. It draws on a number of different identification strategies and data sets to provide insights on these issues, often with implications for broader questions in finance and economics. To answer the questions posed by his research, Professor Weisbenner uses variation in the conditions facing households and institutions by geography, changes to tax and other policy parameters, and financial shocks.
Research
Journal Articles
"How University Endowments Respond to Financial Market Shocks: Evidence and Implications"
J. Brown,
S. Dimmock,
J. Kang,
S. Weisbenner,
American Economic Review,
2014.
"Corporate Debt Maturity and the Real Effects of the 2007 Credit Crisis"
H. Almeida,
M. Campello,
B. Laranjeira,
S. Weisbenner,
Critical Finance Review,
(1)
January,
1
3-58
2012.
"Local Dividend Clienteles"
B. Becker,
Z. Ivkovich,
S. Weisbenner,
Journal of Finance,
(66)
April,
2
655-684
2011.
"The Effect of Inheritance Receipt on Retirement Decisions"
J. Brown,
C. Coile,
S. Weisbenner,
Review of Economics and Statistics,
(92)
August,
2
425-434
2010.
"Individual Investor Mutual-Fund Flows"
Z. Ivkovich,
S. Weisbenner,
Journal of Financial Economics,
(92)
May,
2
223-237
2009.
"Neighbors Matter: Causal Community Effects and Stock Market Participation"
J. Brown,
Z. Ivkovich,
P. Smith,
S. Weisbenner,
Journal of Finance,
(63)
June,
3
1509-1531
2008.
"Portfolio Concentration and the Performance of Individual Investors"
Z. Ivkovich,
C. Sialm,
S. Weisbenner,
Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis,
(43)
September,
3
613-656
2008.
"Information Diffusion Effects in Individual Investors' Common Stock Purchases: Covet Thy Neighbors' Investment Choices"
Z. Ivkovich,
S. Weisbenner,
Review of Financial Studies,
(20)
July,
1327-1357
2007.
"Individual Account Investment Options and Portfolio Choice: Behaviorial Lessons from 401 (k) Plans"
J. Brown,
N. Liang,
S. Weisbenner,
Journal of Public Economics,
(91)
November,
10
1992-2013
2007.
"Executive Financial Incentives and Payout Policy: Evidence from the 2003 Dividend Tax Cut"
J. Brown,
N. Liang,
S. Weisbenner,
Journal of Finance,
(62)
August,
4
1935-1965
2007.
"401(k) Matching Contributions in Company Stock: Costs and Benefits for Firms and Workers"
J. Brown,
N. Liang,
S. Weisbenner,
Journal of Public Economics,
(90)
August,
1315-1346
2006.
"Local Does as Local Is: Information Content of the Geography of Individual Investors' Common Stock Investments"
Z. Ivkovich,
S. Weisbenner,
Journal of Finance,
(60)
1
267-306
2005.
"Tax-Motivated Trading by Individual Investors"
Z. Ivkovich,
J. Poterba,
S. Weisbenner,
The American Economic Review,
(95)
5
1605-1630
2005.
"Inter-Asset Differences in Effective Estate Tax Burdens"
S. Weisbenner,
J. Poterba,
The American Economic Review,
(93)
May,
2
360-365
2003.
"Do Pension Plans with Participant Investment Choice Teach Households to Hold More Equity?"
S. Weisbenner,
Journal of Pension Economics and Finance,
(1)
November,
3
223-248
2002.
"Capital Gains Tax Rules, Tax-Loss Trading, and Turn-of-the Year Returns"
S. Weisbenner,
J. Poterba,
Journal of Finance,
(56)
February,
1
353-368
2001.
Working Papers
"Why Do Individuals Choose Defined Contribution Plans? Evidence from Participants in a Large Public Plan"
J. Brown,
S. Weisbenner,
2013.
"Empirical Determinants of Intertemporal Choice"
J. Brown,
Z. Ivkovich,
S. Weisbenner,
2013.
"The Investment Behavior of State Pension Plans"
J. Brown,
J. Pollet,
S. Weisbenner,
2012.
"The Supply of and Demand for Charitable Donations to Higher Education"
2012.
"The Effect of Regret"
P. Deuskar,
D. Pan,
S. Weisbenner,
F. Wu,
2012.
"The Downside of Defaults"
J. Brown,
A. Farrell,
S. Weisbenner,
2011.
"Who Benefits from a Bull Market? An Analysis of Employee Stock Option Grants and Stock Prices"
S. Weisbenner,
N. Liang,
2001.
"Corporate Share Repurchases in the 1990s: What Role Do Stock Options Play?"
S. Weisbenner,
2000.
Chapters in Books
"Who Chooses Defined Contribution Plans?"
J. Brown,
S. Weisbenner,
131-161
In Social Security Policy in a Changing Environment, (Eds: Jeffrey R. Brown, Jeffrey Liebman, and David Wise),
University of Chicago Press: Chicago, IL,
2009.
"Intergenerational Transfers and Savings Behavior"
J. Brown,
S. Weisbenner,
181-201
In Perspectives on the Economics of Aging, (Eds: David A. Wise),
University of Chicago Press: Chicago, IL,
2004.
"The Distributional Burden of Taxing Estates and Unrealized Capital Gains at Death"
S. Weisbenner,
J. Poterba,
422-449
In Rethinking Estate and Gift Taxation, (Eds: William G. Gale, James R. Hines, and Joel Slemrod),
Brookings Institution,
2001.
Honors and Awards
Research Associate
, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
, 2009-2013
Selected to List of Teachers Rated as Excellent
, University of Illinois
, 2002-2013
James F. Towey Faculty Fellow
, University of Illinois
, 2009-2013
Editor
, Journal of Pension Economics and Finance
, 2010-2013
Selected to List of Teachers Rated as Outstanding (awarded to top 10% of teachers)
, University of Illinois
, 2013
, Nominated by the College of Business for the University Scholars Award
, 2013
, Selected the Best First-Year Professor in the Executive MBA Program
, 2013
, Selected the Best Professor in a Large Elective Course for the Master of Science in Finance Program (for Corporate Finance course)
, 2012
, BlackRock Reserach Award for Best Paper on Capital Markets/Fund Management/Mutual FundsAward at the 25th Annual Australasian Finance and Banking Conference
, 2012
Selected to List of Teachers Rated as Outstanding (awarded to top 10% of teachers)
, University of Illinois
, 2012
, Winner of the College of Business Alumni Association Excellence-in-Teaching Award for Graduate and Professional Teaching (one winner selected in the College of Business)
, 2011
, Selected the Best Professor in a Large Elective Course for the Master of Science in Finance Program (for Behavioral Finance course)
, 2011
, Nominated by the College of Business for the Campus Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching Award
, 2011
, Selected the Best Professor in a Large Elective Course for the Master of Science in Finance Program (for Corporate Finance course)
, 2010
, Nominated by the College of Business for the Campus Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching Award
, 2010
Associate Editor for special issue on behavioral economics and finance
, Management Science
, 2010
, Best Paper Award from the Napa Conference on Financial Markets Research
, 2010
Faculty Research Fellow
, National Bureau of Research (NBER)
, 2002-2009
Julian Simon Memorial Faculty Fellow
, University of Illinois
, 2007-2009
, Runner-up for the Best Professor in a Large Elective Course for the Master of Science in Finance Program (for Corporate Finance course)
, 2009
, BSI Gamma Foundation Research Award (1 of 12 selected)
, 2005
, Nominated for Smith Breeden Prize as best paper published in the Journal of Finance
, 2005
2nd place
, Chicago Quantitative Alliance Conference Academic Competition
, 2004
, Honorable Mention for the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
, 2004
, Runner-up for the College of Business Alumni Association's Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award
, 2004
, National Science Foundation Fellowship
, 1995-1999
Pre-Doctoral Fellow in Aging and Health Economics
, NBER & National Institute on Aging
, 1997-1998
Winner
, Jacob K. Javits Fellowship
, 1995
, Phi Beta Kappa
, 1994