Erik H. Davidson

Professional Summary

Erik Davidson, CFA, CTFA, is a clinical assistant professor of Finance at Baylor University. Additionally, he serves as the chief economic advisor for Inspire Investing as well as an instructor and curriculum consultant for the American Bankers Association (ABA) and provides consulting services on wealth and investment management as well as behavioral finance matters.

Davidson’s academic research and much of his teaching has focused on topics in the growing field of behavioral finance. His doctoral dissertation was “Investment Choice Architecture in the Age of Robo-Advisors”. His joint paper, “Does Investor Sentiment Affect Market Response to Earnings Restatements?”, was accepted for presentation at the 2018 Queen Mary University of London’s Behavioural Finance Working Group Conference. Davidson is the co-author of Investing in Separate Accounts and contributing co-author of The E-Finance Report, both books were published by McGraw-Hill. He has authored numerous investment-related articles, presented to thousands at hundreds of investor events, and has been a regularly featured commentator in the media including television (CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business, and others), radio and podcast (Bloomberg, Wharton Business, and others), and print (Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Barron’s, Bloomberg, Reuters, Associated Press, and others). Additionally, Davidson is a member of the Advisory Board for DePaul University’s Driehaus Center for Behavioral Finance as well as for the Journal of Impact and ESG Investing,

Prior to embarking on his second career in academia, Davidson had a 35-year career in financial services. In 2019, he retired from Wells Fargo Private Bank where he had spent 15 years in various investment leadership roles. His tenure there culminated as the chief investment officer (CIO) where he led an investment team of more than 400 professionals who managed more than $200 billion. Prior to Wells Fargo, Davidson was the co-Founder and co-CEO of Separate Account Solutions, Inc., a fintech company that provided separately managed account (SMA) tools and operational services to investment firms. Earlier in his career, he led the portfolio management team for Franklin Templeton Private Client Services and was a bond trading manager for Credit Suisse First Boston in both New York City and Tokyo. Davidson is a Mensa member, an Eagle Scout, a foster care provider and an active volunteer in his local church and community.

Education

• 2019 – Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA), Behavioral Finance, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois
• 1988 – Masters of Business Administration (MBA), Finance, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
• 1984 – Bachelor of Arts (BA), Economics, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota

Courses

• FIN 3310 – Introduction to Corporate Finance
• FIN 4V98 – Special Studies in Finance
• FIN 5360 – Seminar in Corporate Finance
• FIN 5V98 – Special Studies in Finance

Research Interests

• Behavioral Finance
• Investor Decision-Making
• Investment Choice Architecture
• Digital Investment Advising / Robo Advisors
• Socially Responsible / Environmental Social Governance Investing

Selected Publications

• Davidson, E. & Freeman, K. (2002). Investing in Separate Accounts, McGraw-Hill.
• Zask, E., Davidson, E, et al (2001). The E-Finance Report, McGraw-Hill.
• Davidson, E. (2019), Investment Choice Architecture in the Age of Robo-Advisors, Doctoral Dissertation, DePaul University.
• Uysal, V. Davidson, E., et al. (2018), Does Investor Sentiment Affect Market Response to Earnings Restatements?, accepted for presentation at the Queen Mary University of London’s Behavioural Finance Working Group Conference.