Survey data

This study analyzes the impact of the FDIC’s Money Smart financial education curriculum and training on the financial opinions and behaviors of course participants. The study collected data from 631 adult respondents who experienced some portion of the Money Smart program during 2004-2005 and also completed a pre-training survey, post-training survey, and telephone follow-up survey. The data indicate that Money Smart financial education training positively affected consumer behaviors as measured through self-reported responses to survey questions 6-12 months after completing the training.

The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau compiled a list of companies that offer their existing credit card customers free access to one of their credit scores. This list also includes information on other ways to get credit scores for free.

Researchers have become increasingly interested in understanding the sources of heterogeneity in individual financial behaviors. In this paper, we examine how the Big Five personality traits are related to measures of young adults’ financial distress. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health in the United States, we find that conscientiousness is negatively correlated, and neuroticism positively correlated with financial distress. These correlations are robust to controlling for early life background and other demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Automatic enrollment has been widely embraced for raising employee participation in 401(k) plans. However, the empirical evidence is based on data with limitations that, up until now, have prevented researchers from extrapolating the effects of automatic enrollment to the broader population of workers. This paper reexamines the determinants of 401(k) participation and contributions in the presence of automatic enrollment using nationally representative data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) for 2006 through 2012.

Under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is responsible for performing outreach activities "designed to help customers protect themselves from fraud and other violations of the CEA." As part of this effort, the CFTC developed and tested a series of messages targeting investors who are prime targets for investor fraud. Focus groups were conducted and an online survey was distributed to test the messages. Findings from both phases of this research will be used to develop messages, tone, and imagery for the CFTC's anti-fraud outreach efforts.

The National Financial Capability Study survey was administered to over 2,000 panelists on RAND’s American Life Panel

High-level examination of financial capability in America

High-level examination of financial capability in the U.S. Military

During 2011 and part of 2012, the FDIC conducted a second nationwide survey of FDIC-insured depository institutions to assess their efforts to serve unbanked and underbanked individuals and families. This survey focuses on banks' basic transaction and savings account programs, auxiliary product and service offerings, financial education and outreach efforts, and perceived challenges as obstacles in offering financial products and services to unbanked and underbanked consumers.

In consultation with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and President Bush's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation commissioned the first national study of the financial capability of American adults in 2009. The overarching research objectives of the National Financial Capability Study were to benchmark key indicators of financial capability and evaluate how these indicators vary with underlying demographic, behavioral, attitudinal and financial literacy characteristics. The 2012 Study—similarly developed in consultation with the U.S.