Rate My Professor Elias Rantapuska

Elias Rantapuska is an Associate Professor of Finance with tenure in the Department of Finance at Aalto University School of Business. He previously served as Department Chair from September 2020 to August 2022, B.Sc. and M.Sc. programme director and department vice-chair from September 2019 to August 2020, and Assistant Professor from October 2011 to August 2018. Earlier roles at Aalto University (formerly Helsinki School of Economics) include Postdoctoral Researcher from July 2010 to October 2011 and Assistant, Researcher, and Assistant Professor of Finance from February 2002 to August 2006. Between academic positions, he worked at McKinsey & Company as Associate from July 2008 to June 2010 and Junior Associate from August 2006 to June 2008. Additional professional experience includes summer analyst roles at J.P. Morgan in London (July-September 2002) and Nordea Bank Finland (May-August 2001), as well as a research assistant position at HSE from January to June 2002. Rantapuska holds a D.Sc. in Finance from Helsinki School of Economics (2006), recognized as the best dissertation at HSE and by OP-Group for best finance dissertation in Finland, and an M.Sc. in Finance from the same institution (2003). He completed pedagogical training including the International Teacher’s Programme (2018), Future Research Leaders (2014), and Pedagogical Training for Business School Faculty (2014).

His research specializes in household finance, behavioral finance, empirical asset pricing, and investor decision-making. Key publications include 'Social Interaction in the Family: Evidence from Investors’ Security Holdings' in Review of Finance (2023, with Knüpfer and Sarvimäki), 'Formative Experiences and Portfolio Choice: Evidence from the Finnish Great Depression' in Journal of Finance (2017, with Knüpfer and Sarvimäki), 'Ex-dividend Day Trading: Who, How and Why? Evidence from the Finnish Market' in Journal of Financial Economics (2008), 'Does Mood Affect Trading Behavior?' in Journal of Financial Markets (2016, with Kaustia), and 'Rational and Behavioral Motives to Trade: Evidence from Reinvestment of Dividends and Tender Offer Proceeds' in Journal of Banking & Finance (2012, with Kaustia). Rantapuska leads the OP Group Research Foundation-funded research group on Financial Institutions and has secured major grants, including Academy of Finland awards totaling 960,000 EUR (2018 and 2024 as PI), FIRI 665,000 EUR (2024 co-PI), and others from NASDAQ Nordic Foundation and Wihuri Foundation. Awards include Aalto University School of Business Teacher of the Year (2015), KY Finance McKinsey Finance Teacher of the Year (2015), and Barclays Global Investors Best Paper by a Doctoral Student at EFA 2005. He served as executive editor for Finance Alumni Books (2011 and 2016).