Harvard Business School faculty research highlighted how "naming and shaming" can deter financial adviser misconduct and how passion can backfire in the workplace.
Here are some things we learned in March, visualized in charts.
1. Financial adviser misconduct happens across the US
Mark Egan analyzed a decade of employment, qualifications, and disclosure records and found that approximately one in 15 financial advisers in the US—6.6 percent—had a record of misconduct as of January 2024.
The rate of adviser misconduct varies widely by location and is concentrated within specific firms. In general, it is “more prevalent in areas with wealthier, less educated, and older populations,” such as Florida counties that are popular among retirees, research by Mark Egan and colleagues found.
2. People tend to migrate to similar climates
Marco Tabellini and colleagues studied whether migrants seek familiar climates when choosing destinations, and evaluated the consequences of a mismatch. They found that immigrants coming from warmer countries settled in warmer parts of the US, and vice versa for colder places.
Moving from, say, Maine to Florida might not seem like a big deal, but Tabellini's research suggests that a climate mismatch can shorten one’s life.
3. Women benefit less from displays of passion
Managers evaluating employees for promotions typically see a relationship between passion and potential. Sometimes, though, gender stereotypes can skew this relationship, says research by Jon Jachimowicz and colleagues.
Jachimowicz says men are often perceived as less diligent than women, so even a small display of passion can boost their chances of being seen as having “high potential.” Women—already regarded as highly diligent—benefit less from the same display.
