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Social and Financial Capital Resources Can Lessen Hardships

Parks-Yancy, R., DiTomaso, N. & Post, C. (2007). The mitigating effects of social and financial capital resources on hardships. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 28(3), 429-448.

Brief Description: Social and financial capital resources include knowing people who can help one obtain a job, offer cash or help defray expenses when layoffs or other hardships occur. These resources differ by gender and class (income/occupational status). This study found that middle class individuals had ample access to social and financial …

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Banking Experience and Individual Development Accounts

Grinstein-Weiss, M., Yeo, Y. H., Despard, M. R., Casalotti, A. M., and Zhan, M. (2010). Does prior banking experience matter? Differences of the banked and unbanked in Individual Development Accounts. Journal of Family and Economic Issues 31, 212-227.

Brief Description: This study compares the saving performance and program participation of participants who owned bank accounts and those who did not prior to program enrollment in 14 Individual Development Account programs. Banked participants were shown to have higher average monthly net …

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Risk tolerance and investments of business owners

 

Wong, C. & Hanna, S.D. (2007). The risk tolerance and stock ownership of business owning households. Financial Counseling and Planning, 18(2), 3-18.

Brief Description: This study examined the risk tolerance and stock ownership of three types of households: non-business owners, those that own and manage a business, and those that own but do not manage a business. Non-manager business owners were more likely than others to take risks and hold stocks, and manager owners were significantly less likely to …

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Effect of Expressing a Quantitative Goal on Savings Behavior

Loibl, C. & Scharff, R. L. (2010). Examining the effect of expressing a quantitative goal on consumer savings. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 44, (1): 127-154. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6606.2010.01160.x.

Brief Description: The study extended the psychological concept of implementation intentions to the analysis of savings behavior. A field experiment was conducted with current participants of an America Saves campaign in a large city in a U.S. Midwestern state. The intervention required the treatment group participants to write down specific plans about the …

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Couples’ money management behavior and relationship satisfaction

 

Britt, S., Grable, J.E., Nelson, B.S., & White, M. (2008). The influence of perceived spending behaviors on relationship satisfaction. Financial Counseling and Planning, 19(1), 31-43.

Brief Description: This study explored relationships between couples’ personal and joint spending habits and relationship satisfaction. Results indicated that partner spending behaviors, but not one’s own or joint spending behaviors, influence relationship satisfaction. Other factors associated with relationship satisfaction were high self-esteem (positive relationship) and financial stressors such as medical bills (negative relationship).

Implications:…

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Managing a Retirement Portfolio: Do Annuities Provide More Safety?

Spitzer, J.J. (2009). Managing a retirement portfolio: Do annuities provide more safety? Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning Education, 20(1), 58-69.

Brief Description:  One of the biggest concerns of retirees is the risk of outliving their assets. This study used a technique called “bootstrap simulations” to estimate the probability of someone outliving a retirement portfolio as increasing proportions of a tax-deferred account are annuitized. It also examined the sizes of the portfolio balance as the annuity amount increased. Required …

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Changes in Debt and Change in Marital Satisfaction

 

Dew, J. (2007). The relationship between debt change and marital satisfaction change in recently married couples. Family Relations, 57 (1), 60-71.

Brief Description: Recently married couples report debt as one of their top concerns. This study assesses how changes in consumer debt (e.g., credit card debt) relate to changes in marital satisfaction. Consumer debt assumption is associated with recently married couples’ cutting back on spending time together and arguing about money more frequently. These changes predict declines in marital satisfaction. …

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Spousal differences in financial risk tolerance

 

Gilliam, J.E., Goetz, J.W. & Hampton, V. L. (2008). Spousal differences in financial risk tolerance. Financial Counseling and Planning, 19(1), 3-11.

Brief Description: This study explored the financial risk tolerance of 110 couples who completed a Web-based survey. Wives who were university graduates had a higher tolerance for risk, whereas their husbands’ mean risk tolerance score was lower than husbands whose wives did not have degrees. Perhaps, due to a higher level of household income, it is unnecessary for …

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Linking financial strain to marital instability: examining the roles of emotional distress and marital interation

 

Gudmunson, C., Beutler, I., Israelsen, C., McCoy, K. & Hill, J. (2007) Linking financial strain to marital instability: examining the roles of emotional distress and marital interaction.Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 28(3), 357-376.

Brief Description: This study investigates whether individual moods or couple interactions are stronger links between financial strain and thoughts of ending a marriage. It finds that both are important. Feelings of depression and hostility are experienced individually as a result of financial strain. In …

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The gendered meanings of assets for divorce

 

Dew, J. (2009). The gendered meanings of assets for divorce. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 30(1), 20-31.

Brief Description: Although scholars have known for decades that financial assets relate to a lower likelihood of divorce, no one has explained why. This study finds that wives’ characteristics completely drove the relationship between assets and divorce. Assets helped wives be more satisfied with their marriage and, thus, less likely to divorce. Assets also decreased the attractiveness of divorce, because wives …