This paper explores the relationship between the self-declared risk aversion of private investors and theirpropensity to hold incomplete portfolios of financial assets. The analysis is based on household surveydata from the German Socioeconomic Panel (SOEP) that provides a reliable measure of individual attitudestoward financial risk. Our findings suggest that more risk averse households tend to hold incompleteportfolios consisting mainly of a few risk-free assets. We also find that the propensity to acquire additionalassets is highly dependent on whether liquidity and safety needs are met.