Behavior Change Among Savings Program Participants

Loibl, C., Grinstein-Weiss, M., Zhan, M. & Red Bird, B. (2010). More than a penny saved: Long-term changes in behavior among savings program participants. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 44, (1): 98-126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6606.2010.01159.x.

Brief Description: The study explored the long-term effectiveness of low-income individuals’ participation in a federally funded matched savings program. To collect data, a survey was mailed to former program participants in Ohio, and compared with the responses of a general low-income population sample. The results document that …

Renters’ preparation for retirement

James, R. N., & Sharpe, D. L. (2007). Is time running out? Savings and investments of renters nearing retirement age. Financial Counseling and Planning, 18(2), 61-75.

Brief Description: This study explored how renters age 45-64 prepare for retirement without any home equity. Compared with otherwise similar homeowners, renters nearing retirement were less likely to contribute to retirement savings plans (e.g. 401(k)s and IRAs), invested less when they did contribute, and favored short-term convenience accounts (e.g., checking and savings) with …

Determinants of Asset Allocation Strategies for Retirement Saving

Morrin, M., Broniarczyk, S. & Inman, J. J. (2008), Saving for Retirement: The Effects of Fund Assortment Size and Investor Knowledge on Asset Allocation Strategies, The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 42(2), 206-222.

Brief Description: We conducted a decision simulation among 211 adults whose task was to invest in a hypothetical 401(k) retirement plan. We varied the number of mutual funds (3 or 21) offered for investment and assessed investor knowledge with a self-report measure. The results indicate that less …

Financial Risk-taking Behavior

 

Grable, J. E., Britt, S. L. & Webb, F. J. (2008). Environmental and biopsychosocial profiling as a means for describing financial risk taking behavior. Financial Counseling and Planning, 19 (2), 3-18.

Brief Description: The study applied an intervention model of risky adolescent behavior to risky financial behaviors of adult money managers. The researchers explored the role of one’s level of affluence (referred to as the environmental profile) and his/her self-esteem and age (called the biopsychosocial profile) in financial risk-taking behavior. …

Impact of Personal Finance Education

 

Peng, T.-C., Bartholomae, S., Fox, J. & Cravener, G. (2007). The impact of personal finance education delivered in high school and college courses. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 28(2), 265-284.

Brief Description: This study investigated the impacts of personal finance education delivered in high school and college. Outcomes of interest were investment knowledge and household savings rates measured years after the financial education was delivered. A web-based survey was taken by 1,039 alumni from a large Midwestern university. …

Wills, Trusts and Charitable Estate Planning

 

James, R.N. (2009). Wills, trusts, and charitable estate planning: An analysis of document effectiveness using panel data. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning Education, 20(1), 3-14.

Brief Description: This study compared pre-death charitable estate plans with post-death distributions using a large national data set with over 26,000 individuals. It found that most respondents with charitable estate plans ultimately generated no charitable estate gift after death. The likelihood of making charitable gifts was significantly higher for those who funded an …

Effects of Information on Consumers’ Perceptions of Mutual Funds

 

Kozup, John C., Elizabeth Howlett and Michael Pagano (2008), The Effects of Summary Information on Consumer Perceptions of Mutual Fund Characteristics, Journal Consumer Affairs, 42(1), 37-59.

Brief Description: Choosing how to best invest for retirement is one of the most important decisions a consumer can make. Unfortunately, this can be an especially challenging task given the current financial information disclosure environment. The objective of this research was to explore whether a single page supplemental information disclosure impacts investors’ fund …

Measuring Financial Risk Tolerance

Gilliam, J. Chatterjee, S. & Grable, J. (2010). Measuring the perception of financial risk tolerance: A tale of two measures. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 21 (2), pp. 30-43.

Brief Description:  Estimating a person’s risk tolerance is important for guiding him or her into a satisfactory investment portfolio. The Survey of Consumer Finance (SCF) simple measure for assessing risk tolerance was compared to a 13-item scale (GL-RTS) in assessing risky and non-risky asset holdings by university faculty and staff. …

Gender Differences in Personal Saving Behaviors

Fisher, P. J. (2010). Gender differences in personal saving behaviors. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning Education, 21′(1), pp. 14-24.

http://6aa7f5c4a9901a3e1a1682793cd11f5a6b732d29.gripelements.com/pdf/volume_21_issue_1/pattiejfisher.pdf

Brief Description:  Gender differences in personal saving behaviors among single person households were investigated using data from the 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). Using logistic regression analysis, the researcher found that women were less likely to save in the short term if they were in poor health, but health made no difference for males. Women with low risk …

Impact of Financial Literacy Education

Mandell, L. & Klein, L.S. (2009). The impact of financial literacy education on subsequent financial behavior. Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning Education, 20(1), 15-24. http://6aa7f5c4a9901a3e1a1682793cd11f5a6b732d29.gripelements.com/pdf/lewis_mandell_linda_schmid_klein.pdf

Brief Description: This study examined the impact of a personal finance course on a sample of high school graduates who were followed for five years after graduation. Students who took the course were compared to those who had not and were not found to be any more financially literate. In addition, students who …