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This website provides information that can help you and your family adapt to tough economic times. The features resources include brochures, articles, and links to other pages about money management.

Instructional materials and tools that can increase your understanding of the Federal Reserve system, economics and financial education. All of the Fed web sites, curriculum, newsletters, booklets and other resources are free.

Website with information on how the Federal Reserve can help If you have a problem with a bank or other financial institution. You can file your complaint using the online complaint form on the site or download and send your complaint via fax or mail using our PDF form.

This Department of Agriculture website provides information on an array of topics around Financial Security. It includes information on the work of land-grant university partners and Cooperative Extension, to help youth, economically-vulnerable individuals and families, and consumers making financial decisions. It also includes information on research focused on household savings behavior and family-owned businesses.

Abstract: We use a new and large panel dataset of household income to shed light on the permanent versus transitory nature of rising inequality in individual male labor earnings and in total household income, both before and after taxes, in the United States over the period 1987-2006. Due to the quality and the significant size of our dataset, we are able to conduct our analysis using rich and precisely estimated error-components models of income dynamics.

Abstract: American women tend to be less financially literate than men, which is consistent with a household division of labor in which men manage finances. However, women also tend to outlive their husbands, so they will eventually need to take over this task. Using a new survey of older couples, I find that women acquire financial literacy as they approach widowhood. At an estimated increase of 0.04 standard deviations per year approaching widowhood, 80 percent of women in the sample would catch up with their husbands prior to the expected onset of widowhood.

We present new experimental evidence on heterogeneity in the formation of inflation expectations and relate the variation to economic literacy and demographics. The experimental design allows us to investigate two channels through which expectations-formation may vary across individuals: (1) the choice of information and (2) the use of given information. Subjects who are more economically literate perform better along both dimensions—they choose more-relevant information and make better use of given information.

Innumerable studies over the past decade have shown that many people lack the basic knowledge of the Social Security system necessary for making informed decisions about when to retire and claim benefits, a decision which will impact their savings and their overall financial security. Accordingly, the Social Security Administration (SSA) seeks to educate and provide information to individuals to help them better understand their options for claiming benefits, how much they can receive, and the implications for personal retirement and financial planning.

Household financial planning can be challenging and household members often lack basic financial literacy skills. This paper discusses the potential and pitfalls of one approach to solving these problems—the development and dissemination of financial guidelines simple enough to be explained in graphic form. The discussion is motivated by the history of nutritional guidelines, namely the Food Pyramid and MyPlate.