Standardizing the Presentation of Financial Data: Does XBRL's Taxonomy Affect the Investment Performance of Nonprofessional Investors?

Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) is mandated in the United States to make financial information easier to analyze and more useful for investors. When the technology is implemented as intended, it can standardize the information presented in the financial statements. The format is especially beneficial for nonprofessional investors, which represent approximately 41 million investors investing the United States stock exchange. In this study, we conduct an experiment comparing standard and non-standard financial statements, displayed either online or as traditional paper statements. Results suggest that XBRL’s ability to standardize financial information facilitates investment performance for nonprofessionals, offering evidence on the value of standardizing the presentation of financial statements and additional benefits of XBRL technology.