Report

This report, including research from the Department of Defense and the U.S. Military Academy, has explored important financial education topics, including evidence of the impact of financial education on service members’ retirement savings and use of credit.

The CFPB’s research addressed the childhood origins of adult financial capability and well-being. Building blocks to help youth achieve financial capability: A new model and recommendations, illuminates critical attributes, abilities, and opportunities acquired during the years spanning preschool through young adulthood that support the development of adult financial capability.

This brief was released by the Department of Labor Behavioral Interventions Project. The research shows ways to better encourage employees to focus on saving and investing for retirement.

A report, Opportunities to Improve the Financial Capability and Financial Well-being of Postsecondary Students, has been prepared by the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC) and describes the state of financial education among postsecondary students.

To accompany Hands-On Learning to Build Financial Habits: Federal Resources to Encourage School-Based and Youth Savings Programs, this document is intended to provide information on non-governmental research and resources that may be useful to financial institutions, state, local, or tribal government officials, teachers and school leaders, and others interested in establishing such a program. This document includes a description publicly available websites, reports, research papers, and other readings on child savings that may help practitioners learn about best practices and techniques.

Statistical supplement to the Current Population Survey that provides estimates and insights into the unbanked and underbanked populations of the United States.

PISA 2012 is the first large-scale international study to assess the financial literacy, learned in and outside of school, of 15-year-olds nearing the end of compulsory education. It assesses the extent to which students in 18 participating countries and economies have the knowledge and skills that are essential to make financial decisions and plans for their future. The assessment highlights the importance of financial literacy, defines financial education and financial literacy, and discusses how the assessment was organized.

This report presents insights that can be helpful to researchers, practitioners, and funders undertaking or contemplating rigorous research into the effectiveness of different financial capability approaches. It summarizes the successful strategies and pitfalls of conducting rigorous evaluation of financial capability interventions, shared during a roundtable discussion with Urban Institute and CFPB staff, as well as evaluators, funders, and program staff.

To understand the wide range of information sources consumers could be exposed to in making financial decisions, we commissioned a study of the size and scope of the financial information field. The results give an overall indication of the relative amounts spent in the U.S. on financial education and on the marketing of certain types of financial products. The report found that for every dollar put towards financial education, $25 is spent on financial marketing, which can make it difficult for consumers to find objective information.