The flourishing field of behavioral finance indicates that people often do not
engage in optimal decision making when investing. The same cognitive biases and
mental heuristics that cause suboptimal investing may also cause people to make
unethical decisions. For that reason, good intentions are necessary, but they
are not sufficient for finance professionals who desire to act ethically.
Insights presented in this article can assist the well-intentioned to do the
right thing in difficult circumstances.