Financial Literacy: What Works? How Could it be More Effective?
31 Pages Posted: 10 Feb 2011
There are 2 versions of this paper
Financial Literacy: What Works? How Could it be More Effective?
Financial Literacy: What Works? How Could it Be More Effective?
Date Written: October 1, 2010
Abstract
This paper highlights the extent and effects of financial illiteracy among American households, reviews previous efforts to promote financial literacy, and discusses new directions for such initiatives. None of the four traditional approaches to financial literacy - employer-based, school-based, credit counseling, or community-based - has generated strong evidence that financial literacy efforts have had positive and substantial impacts. Nevertheless, the apparent success of financial planning efforts and of simplification initiatives suggests that there are both private actions and public policy strategies that can influence saving behavior. There is a key role for the private sector in enhancing financial literacy and the market is responding rapidly to try to fill the void. At the same time, there is an at least equally important role for the public sector, via a campaign that revolves around a comprehensive website, and through better coordination of existing policies toward saving. We conclude that improving financial literacy should be a first-order concern for policy-makers, and that gains could accrue not only to the affected individuals, but also to their family members and society at large.
Keywords: financial literacy, saving
JEL Classification: E20
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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