Bangkok, November 20, 2015 ? The 10th SEC Working Papers Forum today has revealed the results of three research studies on the common theme, ?Investment: Expectations and Reality,? conducted by the SEC Research Department, the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) and Morningstar Research (Thailand) Ltd.

All of the studies aim to provide a better understanding of investors? behaviors that could be useful for designing guidelines for financial education suitable for different target groups.

Arnond Sakworawich, Ph.D., NIDA Graduate School of Applied Statistics, has summed up his research on the topic, ?Thai Investor Clusters and Their Financial Literacy? that new generation investors in general are more financially literate than older investors and cash holders, and have a more positive attitude toward investment. Also, younger people?s investment portfolios tend to be more diversified. Given such condusive background, it is advisable for public policy on financial education to specifically target young people to help them prepare for their own future and cope with the aging society.

The research piece by Kittikun Tanaratpattanakit, Senior Research Analyst at Morningstar Research (Thailand), on the topic, ?Investor Return ? Mind the Gap?  has shown that the most important deciding factor for investors of mutual funds is investment return. Thus, funds that have performed well in recent periods as well as popular funds seem to considerably attract more investment money than others.  Unfortunately, most investors tend to buy high and sell low, getting caught in a wrong market timing. It is advisable for investors to focus on their personal goals and long-term investment rather than chasing short-term high returns.

Polpatt Vinaibodee, leader of the SEC research project on the topic, ?Trigger Funds: Trick or Treat,? said that trigger fund has recently become a popular kind of mutual funds among Thai investors because it advertises high returns within specific timeframes. However, there are certain aspects that investors should consider when making an investment decision, for example, risk of receiving lower than expected returns or reaching the target later than schedule. It is advisable therefore for investors to study the characteristics of trigger funds thoroughly before making an investment.