Shlomo Benartzi

Shlomo Benartzi
Name	Shlomo Benartzi
Birth date	1955
Nationality	Israeli-American
Occupation	Behavioral economist, professor, author
Employer	University of California, Los Angeles
Known for	Behavioral economics, Save More Tomorrow, nudging

Shlomo Benartzi is an Israeli-American behavioral economist and academic known for contributions to behavioral finance, decision science, and retirement savings. He is a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles and co-creator of the Save More Tomorrow program, which has influenced public policy and private pension practice. Benartzi's work bridges research at institutions such as the National Bureau of Economic Research and applied collaborations with firms including Google and Fidelity Investments.

Early life and education

Benartzi was born in Israel and completed early schooling before attending institutions in Israel and the United States. He earned advanced degrees in economics and behavioral science, studying under scholars linked to Hebrew University of Jerusalem and later at universities with connections to University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, and the University of Chicago through doctoral advisors and visiting scholar programs. During his formative years he engaged with academic networks related to Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureates and scholars in the tradition of Herbert A. Simon and Daniel Kahneman.

Academic career and positions

Benartzi holds a professorship at University of California, Los Angeles, where he has been affiliated with departments and centers connected to Anderson School of Management and research programs in behavioral decision making. He has been a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a visiting scholar at institutions such as London School of Economics, Harvard University, and Columbia University. Benartzi has lectured at conferences organized by American Economic Association, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, and the Behavioral Science & Policy Association, and has served on advisory panels for organizations including Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and governmental retirement commissions in the United States and Israel.

Research contributions and theories

Benartzi's scholarly contributions focus on behavioral economics, behavioral finance, and choice architecture. He co-developed the Save More Tomorrow program with Richard Thaler, operationalizing concepts from prospect theory and mental accounting associated with Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. His empirical work draws on field experiments and randomized controlled trials influenced by methodologies popularized at RAND Corporation and the National Bureau of Economic Research, testing interventions in contexts related to 401(k) plans, pension enrollment, and retirement savings behavior. Benartzi has advanced theories about present bias, loss aversion, and status quo bias as they affect long-term saving, integrating ideas from George Akerlof and Robert Shiller on commitment devices and behavioral macroeconomics. He has published on diversification heuristics and myopic loss aversion, extending prior work by Meir Statman and Hersh Shefrin and applying statistical techniques common to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Applied work and industry collaborations

Benartzi has translated academic insights into large-scale applications with private and public sector partners. He collaborated with Fidelity Investments, Vanguard, and TIAA on enrollment and default options for defined-contribution plans, and worked with Google on behavioral interventions related to employee savings and consumer decision interfaces. Governmental collaborations include advisory roles with the U.S. Department of Labor, the Employee Benefits Security Administration, and pension reform efforts in Israel and European countries influenced by OECD recommendations. Benartzi's applied projects utilize nudging techniques championed in policy circles by figures associated with the Behavioural Insights Team and have been implemented in programs evaluated by researchers from Princeton University and University of Michigan.

Awards and honors

Benartzi's work has been recognized with awards and fellowships from academic and policy institutions. Honors include citations and prizes from organizations connected to behavioral science and finance such as the American Finance Association-affiliated awards, fellowships at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, and recognition by business schools including Wharton School and the Kellogg School of Management. He has been invited to deliver named lectures alongside scholars associated with the Nobel Prize community and received awards from retirement industry groups linked to Society of Actuaries and pension associations in the United States and United Kingdom.

Selected publications and media appearances

Benartzi is author and co-author of peer-reviewed articles, books, and op-eds appearing in outlets and journals tied to economics and popular media. Key academic articles have appeared in journals that include publications associated with American Economic Association and topical collections used at National Bureau of Economic Research conferences. He co-authored a book aimed at practitioners and policymakers that synthesizes behavioral interventions in retirement markets, and has written for periodicals connected to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and commentary platforms frequented by scholars from Harvard Business Review and The Economist. Benartzi has appeared on broadcast programs affiliated with NPR, Financial Times events, and symposiums hosted by Brookings Institution and Aspen Institute.

Category:Behavioral economists Category:University of California, Los Angeles faculty