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Retired for how long? Worker expectations for how long they’ll live in retirement
April 29, 2025How long will you live in retirement? Individuals can’t answer this question with certainty because they don’t know how long they’ll live in general, and this makes planning and preparing for retirement inherently difficult. However, individuals have expectations about how… Read More »
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Financial Literacy and Retirement Fluency: New insights for improving financial well-being
April 18, 2024The TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index (P-Fin Index), now in its eighth year, annually assesses financial literacy among U.S. adults and examines the relationship between financial literacy and financial well-being. In addition to a robust measure of overall financial literacy,… Read More »
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Financial literacy and financial education: An overview
April 16, 2024Abstract: This article provides a concise narrative overview of the rapidly growing empirical literature on financial literacy and financial education. We first discuss stylized facts on the demographic correlates of financial literacy. We next cover the evidence on the effects… Read More »
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Evaluating the Effects of a Low-Cost, Online Financial Education Program
March 12, 2024Abstract: This paper provides evidence on how a low-cost, online, and scalable financial education program influences older participants’ financial knowledge. We tested the program using a field experiment that included short stories covering three fundamental financial education topics: compound interest,… Read More »
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Financial wellness programs in the workplace: Evidence from a Fortune 25 company
September 01, 2022Abstract: Financial wellness programs in the workplace are the best ways to reach a vast majority of the adult population. This report is part of a more comprehensive study that focuses on a particular financial wellness program launched by Edelman… Read More »
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Are your employees in good financial shape? Evidence from a Fortune 25 company
July 01, 2022Abstract: Workplace financial education is crucial for helping working adults improve their financial well-being. This report shows the results of a six-week challenge called Fast Track to Financial Health, a joint project between Edelman Financial Engines (EFE) and the George… Read More »
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How financial literacy varies among U.S. adults: The 2022 TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index
April 12, 2022Summary: The TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index (P-Fin Index) is an ongoing project now in its sixth year that annually assesses financial literacy among the U.S. adult population. The P-Fin Index is unique in its capacity to produce a robust… Read More »
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Millennials’ and Gen Z’s Money Management During COVID-19: Challenges and Opportunities
November 01, 2021Abstract: The economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been felt equally among individuals, with millennials and Gen Z among those hit hardest. We examine responses to a novel survey conducted in May 2021 to understand how the pandemic… Read More »
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Examining the Barriers to Annuity Ownership for Older Americans
October 05, 2021Abstract: The annuity take-up rate is lower than economic theory predicts.1 Using data from the 2018 National Financial Capability Study, we conduct an empirical analysis of individuals in the retirement-planning phase of the life cycle (ages 40–61) and individuals of… Read More »
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Coping with new (and old) vulnerabilities in the post-pandemic world
October 05, 2021The symposium concludes the work programme carried out by the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) under the Italian G20 Presidency. It aims to take stock of the main experiences gained in financial education and consumer protection, including during the… Read More »
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Financial Anxiety and Stress Among U.S. Adults: New Evidence From a National Survey and Focus Groups
September 14, 2021Summary: The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the deeply rooted financial insecurity that many Americans face. Our research shows that even before the pandemic hit, and at a time of economic expansion, a large share… Read More »
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Financial Literacy and Financial Behavior at Older Ages
July 29, 2021Abstract: Recent research has documented that people are increasingly entering old age holding more debt than ever before, and having done little or no retirement planning. This paper examines some of the reasons why older peoples’ financial behaviors depart from… Read More »
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Financial Resilience in America
May 04, 2021This fact sheet provides a snapshot of the state of Americans’ financial resilience right before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Americans were unprepared to cover a mid-sized emergency expense, and there are considerable variations across groups with different… Read More »
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Fearless Woman: Financial Literacy and Stock Market Participation
March 07, 2021Abstract: Women are less financially literate than men. It is unclear whether this gap reflects a lack of knowledge or, rather, a lack of confidence. Our survey experiment shows that women tend to disproportionately respond “do not know” to questions… Read More »
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Evaluating Deliberative Competence: A Simple Method with an Application to Financial Choice
March 04, 2021We introduce a method for experimentally evaluating interventions designed to improve the quality of choices in settings where people imperfectly comprehend consequences. Among other virtues, our method yields an intuitive sufficient statistic for welfare that admits formal interpretations even when… Read More »
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The Importance of Financial Literacy: Evidence and Recommendations
December 01, 2020Watch the presentation.
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Remaking Retirement: Debt in an Aging Economy
November 18, 2020Summary: Around the world, people nearing and entering retirement are holding ever-greater levels of debt than in the past. This is not a benign situation, as many pre-retirees and retirees are stressed about their indebtedness. Moreover, this growth in debt… Read More »
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Financial Literacy and Wellness Among U.S. Women: Insights on Underrepresented Minority Women
November 17, 2020Summary: The TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index (P-Fin Index) provides an annual measure of overall financial literacy among the U.S. adult population, plus a nuanced analysis of personal finance knowledge across eight functional areas. The 2020 P-Fin Index survey was… Read More »
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The Stability and Predictive Power of Financial Literacy: Evidence From Longitudinal Data
October 29, 2020Summary: We administered the FINRA Investor Education Foundation’s National Financial Capability Study (NFCS) questionnaire to members of the RAND American Life Panel (ALP) in 2012 and 2018. Using this longitudinal data set, we investigate the evolution of financial literacy over… Read More »
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Financial Literacy, Wellness and Resilience Among African Americans
October 26, 2020Summary: The financial situation of African Americans lags that of the U.S. population as a whole, and of whites in particular. Simple economic indicators illustrate the gap. While 66% of African Americans report that they are doing at least OK… Read More »
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Assessing the impact of financial education programs: A quantitative model
October 21, 2020Abstract: Prior studies disagree regarding the effectiveness of financial education programs, especially those offered in the workplace. To explain such measurement differences in evaluation and outcomes, we employ a stochastic life cycle model with endogenous financial knowledge accumulation and investigate… Read More »
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Financial Education Affects Financial Knowledge and Downstream Behaviors
April 25, 2020Abstract: We study the rapidly growing literature on the causal effects of financial education programs in a meta-analysis of 76 randomized experiments with a total sample size of over 160,000 individuals. The evidence shows that financial education programs have, on… Read More »
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Attitudes Toward Debt and Debt Behavior
April 06, 2020Abstract: We introduce a novel survey measure of attitude toward debt. Matching our survey results with panel data on Swedish household balance sheets from registry data, we show that our debt attitude measure helps explain individual variation in indebtedness as… Read More »
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Financial Fragility in America
March 30, 2020In January 2020, about one-in-four Americans were financially fragile. Financial fragility is the inability to cope with a mid-size shock in a short period of time. It is a self-assessed measure of capacity to deal with financial shocks, regardless of… Read More »
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Financial Education Works
February 19, 2020Summary: This podcast talks about the state of financial literacy in the United States, income inequality across communities, and the impact of financial education.
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New Evidence on the Financial Knowledge and Characteristics of Investors
October 09, 2019Abstract: Increased individual responsibility for retirement saving and investing, together with the growing complexity of financial products, require that investors have financial knowledge and awareness. This report provides evidence of substantial differences across investor types. Workplace-only investors, whose exposure to… Read More »
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Income Growth and the Distributional Effects of Urban Spatial Sorting
October 03, 2019Watch the video.
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What Do Hand-Washing and Financial Illiteracy Have in Common?
July 17, 2018Summary: This podcast explores the idea that most problems are solved by more education — except when they’re not. Director Lusardi explains that financial education is the path forward to a more financially literate world.
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Financial Fragility: Evidence and Implications
April 15, 2018To read the National Endowment for Financial Education's Summer 2018 Digest, which features GFLEC's research on financial fragility as its covers story, click here. This research was supported by NEFE.
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The Gender Gap in Financial Literacy: A Global Perspective
July 11, 2017Summary: Financial literacy is a skill that is essential if one is to participate in today’s economy. Wide-ranging developments in the financial marketplace have contributed to growing concerns about the level of financial literacy of citizens of many countries. Through… Read More »
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The Gender Gap in Financial Literacy: A Global Perspective
July 11, 2017Summary: With data on financial literacy from a survey of more than 150,000 people in 140 economies worldwide, the 2014 Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services Global Financial Literacy Survey (S&P Global FinLit Survey) represents the most comprehensive global measure of… Read More »
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Debt and Financial Vulnerability on the Verge of Retirement
June 30, 2017Abstract: We analyze older individuals’ debt and financial vulnerability using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the National Financial Capability Study (NFCS). Specifically, in the HRS we examine three different cohorts (individuals age 56–61) in 1992, 2004,… Read More »
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Millennials and Financial Literacy: A Global Perspective
May 11, 2017Summary: Worldwide, just one in three adults show an understanding of basic financial concepts, making it clear that billions of people are unprepared to deal with rapid changes in the financial landscape. Credit products, many of which carry high interest… Read More »
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Millennials and Financial Literacy: A Global Perspective
May 11, 2017Summary: Financial literacy is of utmost importance for Millennials, as they face financial decisions that can have consequences for the rest of their life. However, in a rapidly changing economic landscape, Millennials do not seem to be prepared to deal… Read More »
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The Social Security Statement: Its History and Impact on Knowledge and Behavior
April 25, 2017Watch the video.
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Remarks of Annamaria Lusardi to the SEC Investor Advisory Committee
March 13, 2017Click here to view Director Lusardi's presentation from the SEC IAC meeting. View the agenda of the meeting by clicking here. Watch the meeting webcast by clicking here (Director Lusardi begins speaking at 48:09).
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Financial Capability of American Adults: Insights from the American Life Panel
February 10, 2017Summary: While providing a wide range of financial capability indicators, the National Financial Capability Study (NFCS) lacks information about important determinants of financial outcomes, such as individuals’ health and cognition, and does not offer a precise, quantitative assessment of critical variables,… Read More »
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When will the penny drop? Money, financial literacy and risk in the digital age
January 30, 2017Summary: In November 2016, Allianz, in collaboration with Director Annamaria Lusardi, surveyed a total of 10,000 (approximately 1,000 people in each country) in the western European countries of Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the… Read More »
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Time-Inconsistency and Saving: Experimental Evidence from Low-Income Tax Filers
January 13, 2017Watch the video.
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How Trends in Disability Affect Income Inequality and Financial & Retirement Security
January 13, 2017Watch the video.
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Time-Inconsistency and Saving: Experimental Evidence from Low-Income Tax Filers
January 13, 2017Watch the video.
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The National Financial Capability Study: Empirical Findings from the American Life Panel Survey
November 22, 2016Summary: The National Financial Capability Study (NFCS) is an ongoing study first conducted in 2009. It is commissioned and supported by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, in consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the President's Advisory Council on… Read More »
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STUDENT LOAN DEBT IN THE US: AN ANALYSIS OF THE 2015 NFCS DATA
November 14, 2016Summary: According to the study, 54 percent of student loan holders did not try to figure out what their monthly payments would be before taking out loans. And 53 percent said that if they could go back and redo the… Read More »
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP AMONG BABY BOOMERS: RECENT EVIDENCE FROM THE HEALTH AND RETIREMENT STUDY
October 03, 2016Abstract: We study entrepreneurship among Baby Boomers using data from the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Using two different definitions of entrepreneurship (being self-employed and being a business owner), we compare entrepreneurs to non-entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs who were age… Read More »
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Women and Retirement Security
September 30, 2016Summary: Our research investigates whether and how older women’s current and anticipated future labor force patterns has changed over time, to evaluate the factors associated with longer work lives and plans to continue working at older ages. For our empirical… Read More »
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HOUSEHOLD FINANCIAL FRAGILITY: EVIDENCE AND IMPLICATIONS
September 29, 2016Macrofinancial Symposium: Links between Financial Markets and the American Economy
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Financial Capability in the United States 2016
July 15, 2016Summary: Financial capability is a multi-dimensional concept that encompasses a combination of knowledge, resources, access, and habits. The NFCS is designed to understand and measure a rich, connected set of perceptions, attitudes, experiences, and behaviors across a large, diverse sample in… Read More »
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Financial Literacy Seminar Series with Abigail Sussman: Anchors, Target Values, and Credit Card Payments
May 27, 2016Watch the Video
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Financial Literacy Seminar with Annamaria Lusardi, Financial Literacy Around the World: Insights from S&P Global FinLit Survey
April 27, 2016Watch the video.
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Household Financial Fragility: Evidence and Implications
April 22, 2016Netherlands - OECD Global Symposium on Financial Resilience throughout Life
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Financial Literacy: A Global Perspective
December 07, 2015International Seminar: Financial Education in Brazil and in the World (in Portuguese)
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Optimal Financial Knowledge and Wealth Inequality
December 01, 2015Abstract: We show that financial knowledge is a key determinant of wealth inequality in a stochastic lifecycle model with endogenous financial knowledge accumulation, where financial knowledge enables individuals to better allocate lifetime resources in a world of uncertainty and imperfect… Read More »
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The Effect of Financial Education on the Quality of Decision Making
November 19, 2015Watch the video.
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Financial Knowledge and 401(k) Investment Performance: A Case Study
June 22, 2015Abstract: We explore whether investors who are more financially knowledgeable earn more on their retirement plan investments compared to their less sophisticated counterparts, using a unique new dataset linking administrative data on investment performance and financial knowledge. Results show that the… Read More »
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FINANCIAL LITERACY AND HIGH-COST BORROWING IN THE UNITED STATES
December 31, 2014Abstract: In this paper, we examine high-cost methods of borrowing in the United States, such as payday loans, pawn shops, auto title loans, refund anticipation loans, and rent-to-own shops, and offer a portrait of borrowers who use these methods. Considering… Read More »
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FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE AND 401(K) INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE
December 17, 2014Abstract: Using a unique new data set linking administrative data on investment performance and financial knowledge, we examine whether investors who are more financially knowledgeable earn more on their retirement plan investments, compared to their less sophisticated counterparts. We find that… Read More »
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VISUAL TOOLS AND NARRATIVES: NEW WAYS TO IMPROVE FINANCIAL LITERACY
December 17, 2014Abstract: In this paper, we developed and experimentally evaluated four novel educational programs delivered online: an informational brochure, a visual interactive tool, a written narrative, and a video narrative. The programs were designed to inform people about risk diversification, an essential… Read More »
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FINANCIAL LITERACY AND RETIREMENT PLANNING IN CANADA
December 17, 2014Abstract: Financial literacy and Canadians’ capacity to plan for retirement is of primary importance for the policy debate over pension system reform in Canada. In this paper, we draw on internationally comparable survey evidence on financial literacy and retirement planning in… Read More »
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OPTIMAL FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE AND WEALTH INEQUALITY
December 17, 2014Abstract: Using a stochastic life cycle model with endogenous financial knowledge accumulation, we show that financial knowledge is a key determinant of wealth inequality. The mechanism we posit is that financial knowledge enables individuals to better allocate resources over their lifetimes… Read More »
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FINANCIAL EDUCATION, FINANCIAL COMPETENCE, AND CONSUMER WELFARE
December 17, 2014Abstract: We introduce the concept of financial competence, a measure of the extent to which individuals’ financial choices align with those they would make if they properly understood their opportunity sets. Unlike existing measures of the quality of financial decision making,… Read More »
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FINANCIAL LITERACY AROUND THE WORLD: AN OVERVIEW
December 17, 2014Abstract: In an increasingly risky and globalized marketplace, people must be able to make well informed financial decisions. New international research demonstrates that financial illiteracy is widespread in both well-developed and rapidly changing markets. Women are less financially literate than men, the… Read More »
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FINANCIAL LITERACY AND QUANTITATIVE REASONING IN THE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE CLASSROOM
December 17, 2014Abstract: This overview frames the eight articles devoted to financial literacy in this issue of Numeracy. The survey questions used to assess financial literacy in the United States, Romania, France, Switzerland, Australia, and elsewhere include mathematics that is routinely covered… Read More »
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THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL LITERACY: THEORY AND EVIDENCE
December 17, 2014This paper undertakes an assessment of a rapidly growing body of economic research on financial literacy. We start with an overview of theoretical research, which casts financial knowledge as a form of investment in human capital. Endogenizing financial knowledge has… Read More »
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Inflation Expectations and Behavior: Do Survey Respondents Act on Their Belief?
October 16, 2014Watch the video.
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Inflation Expectations and Behavior: Do Survey Respondents Act on Their Belief?
October 16, 2014Watch the video.
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FINANCIAL SOPHISTICATION IN THE OLDER POPULATION
October 01, 2014Abstract: This paper examines data on financial sophistication among the U.S. older population, using a special-purpose module implemented in the Health and Retirement Study. We show that financial sophistication is deficient for older respondents (aged 55+). Specifically, many in this… Read More »
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FINANCIAL CAPABILITY NEAR RETIREMENT: A PROFILE OF PRE-RETIREES
October 01, 2014Summary: This report shows how pre-retirees—those between 51 and 61 years of age—face a number of financial challenges. Authors Carlo de Bassa Scheresberg and Annamaria Lusardi use financial capability data from the 2012 National Financial Capability Study to highlight the troubling… Read More »
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Trying the Impossible–Financing 30-Year Retirements with 40-Year Careers: A Discussion of Social Security and Retirement Policy
September 25, 2014Watch the video.
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An Analysis of Default Risk in the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Program
May 08, 2014Watch the video.
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GEN Y PERSONAL FINANCES: A CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE AND CAPABILITY
May 01, 2014Summary: Generation Y will leave a lasting imprint on American history. The largest, most diverse generation America has seen, Generation Y comprises millions who were born between the late 1970s and the mid-1990s. While this generation is confident, they face… Read More »
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Financial Literacy Among Graduate Students: A Case Study from the Indiana University System
April 24, 2014Watch the video.
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HELPING GEN Y ACHIEVE LONG-TERM FINANCIAL SECURITY
February 01, 2014Summary: They are young, tech savvy, and confident; diverse, connected, and idealistic. And, they face a host of financial challenges. We’re talking, of course, about Gen Y, represented by the 2,124 college-educated respondents age 23 to 35 who took part in… Read More »
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COLLEGE-EDUCATED MILLENNIALS: AN OVERVIEW OF THEIR PERSONAL FINANCES
February 01, 2014Summary: This study has used new data from the NFCS to analyze salient issues related to college-educated Millennials’ financial capability, practices, and status, and in the process identify key financial challenges they face. The results suggest that the promotion of financial… Read More »
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE OECD/INFE/GFLEC GLOBAL POLICY RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM TO ADVANCE FINANCIAL LITERACY
October 31, 2013Summary: This document collects the contributions of the four main speakers of the OECD/INFE/GFLEC Global Policy Research Symposium to Advance Financial Literacy, held in Paris on 31 October 2013. The conference was co-organised with the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center… Read More »
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DEBT AND DEBT MANAGEMENT AMONG OLDER ADULTS
September 01, 2013Abstract: Many individuals lack the financial know-how to manage the complex new financial products increasingly available in the financial marketplace. How people borrow and manage debt has become of increasing policy maker concern, given recent evidence on Americans’ over-indebtedness. As… Read More »
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THE FINANCIAL FRAGILITY OF AMERICAN FAMILIES
September 01, 2013Summary: The economic crisis that began in 2007 started a wide-ranging spiral that not only weakened the U.S. economy but also eroded the financial stability of households—exposing the fragility of American families. Stock values dropped, real estate prices plummeted, household wealth… Read More »
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TESTIMONY OF ANNAMARIA LUSARDI BEFORE THE U.S. SENATE
April 24, 2013Summary: Annamaria Lusardi testifies about the lack of financial capability and literacy among the American people and why financial education in high school is important.
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Active vs Passive Decisions and Crowd-Out in Retirement Savings Accounts
April 18, 2013Watch the video.
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FINANCIAL LITERACY AROUND THE WORLD (FLAT WORLD)
April 01, 2013Summary: Across the world, people are being asked to assume more responsibility for their financial well-being. Because of changes in the pension landscape, notably a shift from defined benefit to defined contribution type pensions, individuals must determine not only how much… Read More »
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Do Consumers Know How to Value Annuities? Complexity as a Barrier to Annuitization
March 21, 2013Watch the video.
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Retiree Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Spending: A Study of Consumer Expectations and Policy Implications
March 07, 2013Watch the video.
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Experimental Evidence of the Efficacy of Financial Education for Adults: A Cross Experiment Comparison
December 13, 2012Watch the video.
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Early Withdrawals from Retirement Accounts During the Great Recession
November 29, 2012Watch the video.
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A Complex Portrait: An Examination of Small-Dollar Credit Consumers
November 15, 2012Watch the video.
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A Complex Portrait: An Examination of Small-Dollar Credit Consumers
November 01, 2012Watch the video.
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Social Security and Retirement Decisions: The Impact of Knowledge and Framing
October 04, 2012Watch the video.
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Can Commitment Savings Help Americans be Better Prepared for Retirement?
June 21, 2012Watch the video.
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Building Financial Literacy: For K-8 Pre-Service Teachers and Adult Learners
June 21, 2012Watch the video.
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Panel Discussion: Directions for Further Research on Financial Literacy
June 21, 2012Watch the video.
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Evaluating Workforce Financial Education and Encouraging New Hires to Save for Retirement
June 21, 2012Watch the video.
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What are the Real-World Framing Influences on Retirement Claiming Behavior?
June 21, 2012Watch the video.
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Internet Panel Survey Data on Financial Capability and Behavior: RAND American Life Panel
June 20, 2012Watch the video.
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Financial literacy and retirement planning in the United States
October 11, 2011Abstract: We examine financial literacy in the US using the new National Financial Capability Study, wherein we demonstrate that financial literacy is particularly low among the young, women, and the less-educated. Moreover, Hispanics and African-Americans score the least well on… Read More »
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Financial literacy and stock market participation
August 01, 2011Abstract: We have devised two special modules for De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) Household Survey to measure financial literacy and study its relationship to stock market participation. We find that the majority of respondents display basic financial knowledge and have some… Read More »
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Financially Fragile Households: Evidence and Implications
April 01, 2011Abstract: We examine households’ financial fragility by looking at their capacity to come up with $2,000 in 30 days. Using data from the 2009 TNS Global Economic Crisis Study, we document that approximately one-quarter of U.S. respondents are certain they… Read More »