We derive closed-form solutions for asset prices and portfolio holdings when agents have asset-specific information and/or information about common components that affect many assets. Our solutions are general, encompass existing information structures, and are used to analyze new structures. A given investor’s portfolio can exhibit highly disperse holdings—e.g., portfolio weights may vary significantly from market capitalization weights. Our model also generates large ranges of asset prices due to information asymmetries. We help explain why US investors (e.g.) may underweight German stocks (e.g.) on average, but overweight a particular German stock relative to its market capitalization weight.

Using a large sample of US individuals, we show that individuals with higher levels of trust have lower likelihoods of default in household debt and higher net worth. The effect is driven by trust values inherited from cultural and family backgrounds more than by trust beliefs about others. We demonstrate a causal impact of trust on financial outcomes by extracting the component of trust correlated with early-life experiences. The effect of trust is more pronounced among females, those with lower education, lower income, lower financial literacy, and higher debt-to-income ratio. Further evidence suggests that enhancing individuals’ trust, to the right amount, can improve household financial well-being.