Financial awareness, investment strategies and investor satisfaction: a multilayered empirical model testing in the Indian context

Purpose This research explores the relationships between financial awareness and investor satisfaction about retirement planning, particularly in the Indian context. We developed a conceptual model involving double moderation effects of post-retirement objectives and external factors influencing investor satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach A carefully crafted survey instrument was designed to collect data from the 480 employees working in six administrative departments in the northern part of India. After checking the measurement properties of the survey instrument through the Lisrel package of structural equation modeling, the hypotheses were tested using Hayes PROCESS macros. Findings The results indicate that financial awareness is positively related to (1) investor satisfaction and (2) investment purpose; investment purpose is positively related to investor satisfaction; post-retirement objectives moderate the relationship between financial awareness and investment purpose; external factors moderate the moderated relationship between financial awareness and post-retirement objectives (first moderator) and investor satisfaction mediated through investment purpose. Practical implications The outcomes of this study have important implications for the employees embarking on making decisions concerning their retirement. The conceptual model provides a simple framework explaining how financial awareness and investor satisfaction are affected by the post-retirement objectives of individuals. This study highlights the importance of considering the effect of external factors influencing financial decisions. Originality/value The three-way interactions in this exploratory research contribute to the growing literature on behavioral finance, particularly concerning retirement planning involving pension.