People obtain a university degree in order to improve their future prospects, in particular regarding employment opportunities. A degree in finance does not only fulfill a need in society at large but also for the individuals and their personal finances.

We focused on students and alumni at and from Södertörns högskola in order to investigate whether the Bachelor of finance degree influenced the respondents’ financial decisions and behaviour regarding savings and investment.

We investigated whether savings and investment increased as a function of increased knowledge of financial instruments and markets and an understanding of the risk associated with these. The thesis focused mainly on quantitative methods with qualitative elements to elicit a deeper understanding of the respondents’ replies. Data collection was completed through surveys and interviews.

The results showed indications of higher level of investments in stocks, bonds and high risk markets as well as statistically significant increases in the propensity to borrow money for investment. No statistically significant difference was detected in the level of pension savings.