Role of Financial Institutions in Sweden

This study has been conducted keeping two broad objectives in mind. One is to evaluate the contribution of financial institutions in Sweden in personal financial planning. The second is to find whether there exists a need for specialized service in this field. We have triangulated qualitative and quantitative data for study. The study has been conducted in Umeå, a northern city of Sweden taking relatively smaller sample size. Further test can be done under similar condition to generalize the result for the country as whole. We formulated two hypotheses, which were based on life cycle theory and portfolio theory. We have found that the asset accumulation behavior of individuals in Sweden appear to be universal. We have also identified that the advisory services of financial institutions in Sweden are captive and there is potential for this industry to shift their focus.