Review Articles

Risk and Return in Financial Decision-Making: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications

Amina El-Sayed

Received 20 Apr 2026, Published online: 30 Jun 2025

Published in Volume 5, Issue 1, 2025, pages 1-3

Open access

Abstract

This paper explores the intricate relationship between risk and return in financial decision making. Drawing from both classical financial theory and behavioral economics, the study evaluates how individuals and institutions make investment choices under uncertainty. The article delves into various models such as the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), and Prospect Theory to explain investor behavior. Empirical evidence suggests that while higher risk is generally associated with higher returns, investor biases, market anomalies, and psychological factors often lead to suboptimal financial decisions. This paper synthesizes current research and suggests best practices for balancing risk and return in investment portfolios.

Keywords

  • Risk
  • Return
  • Financial Decision-Making
  • CAPM
  • Modern Portfolio Theory
  • Behavioral Finance

References

  1. [1] Markowitz, H. (1952). Portfolio selection. The Journal of Finance, 7(1), 77–91.
  2. [2] Sharpe, W. F. (1964). Capital asset prices: A theory of market equilibrium under conditions of risk. The Journal of Finance, 19(3), 425–442.
  3. [3] Ross, S. A. (1976). The arbitrage theory of capital asset pricing. Journal of Economic Theory, 13(3), 341–360.
  4. [4] Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1979). Prospect theory: An analysis of decision under risk. Econometrica, 47(2), 263–292.
  5. [5] Fama, E. F., & French, K. R. (1992). The cross-section of expected stock returns. The Journal of Finance, 47(2), 427–465.
  6. [6] Bodie, Z., Kane, A., & Marcus, A. J. (2014). Investments (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
  7. [7] Barberis, N., & Thaler, R. (2003). A survey of behavioral finance. In G. Constantinides, M. Harris, & R. Stulz (Eds.), Handbook of the Economics of Finance (Vol. 1, pp. 1053–1128). Elsevier.
  8. [8] Merton, R. C. (1973). An intertemporal capital asset pricing model. Econometrica, 41(5), 867–887.
  9. [9] Lintner, J. (1965). The valuation of risk assets. Review of Economics and Statistics, 47(1), 13–37.
  10. [10] Odean, T. (1998). Are investors reluctant to realize their losses? The Journal of Finance, 53(5), 1775–1798.
  11. [11] De Bondt, W. F. M., & Thaler, R. (1985). Does the stock market overreact? The Journal of Finance, 40(3), 793–805.
  12. [12] Jegadeesh, N., & Titman, S. (1993). Returns to buying winners and selling losers. The Journal of Finance, 48(1), 65–91.
  13. [13] Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1992). Advances in prospect theory. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 5(4), 297–323.
  14. [14] Shefrin, H., & Statman, M. (1985). The disposition to sell winners too early and ride losers too long. The Journal of Finance, 40(3), 777–790.
  15. [15] Graham, J. R., & Harvey, C. R. (2001). The theory and practice of corporate finance. Journal of Financial Economics, 60(2–3), 187–243.
  16. [16] Brinson, G. P., Hood, L. R., & Beebower, G. L. (1986). Determinants of portfolio performance. Financial Analysts Journal, 42(4), 39–44.
  17. [17] Lo, A. W. (2004). The adaptive markets hypothesis. The Journal of Portfolio Management, 30(5), 15–29.
  18. [18] Gigerenzer, G. (2008). Rationality for mortals: How people cope with uncertainty. Oxford University Press.
  19. [19] Shiller, R. J. (2000). Irrational exuberance. Princeton University Press.
  20. [20] Damodaran, A. (2012). Investment valuation: Tools and techniques for determining the value of any asset (3rd ed.). Wiley.
  21. Ahmad, N. R. (2025). Monetary policy, inflation and unemployment: The interactions and their economic impacts in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Economics and Public Policy, 5(1), 66–81.
  22. Ahmad, N. R. (2025). Leadership ethics in practice: Employees’ experiences of integrity and hypocrisy in public-sector organizations in Pakistan. Journal of Applied Leadership and Transparency. https://doi.org/10.63878/jalt874
  23. Salhab, M. A., Sohail, N., & Ali, D. A. (2025). The impact of AI-driven tools on production efficiency and quality management with Cascadeur software. In 2025 International Conference on Metaverse and Current Trends in Computing (ICMCTC). IEEE. [https://doi.org/10.1109/ICMCTC62214.2025.11196350](https://doi.org/10.1109/ICMCTC62214.2025.11196350)
  24. Salhab, M. A., Sohail, N., & Ali, D. A. (2025). The impact of AI-driven tools on production efficiency and quality management with Cascadeur software. In 2025 International Conference on Metaverse and Current Trends in Computing (ICMCTC). IEEE. [https://doi.org/10.1109/ICMCTC62214.2025.11196350](https://doi.org/10.1109/ICMCTC62214.2025.11196350)

Metrics

Article views
54
Downloads
93

Licensing

© 2025 Journal of Magnetism and Its Applications. This article is published under CC BY 4.0.

How to cite

Amina El-Sayed , A. E. S. (2025). Risk and Return in Financial Decision-Making: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications. Journal of Magnetism and Its Applications, 5(1), 1-3.

How to Cite

Risk and Return in Financial Decision-Making: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications. (2025). Journal of Magnetism and Its Applications, 5(1), 1-3. https://jourmag.org/index.php/jma/article/view/131