The Knowledge We Gain & Share

The Foundation serves as a repository for data describing the financial capability of American households. It interprets this data and enables research to help decision-makers and practitioners advance financial well-being in communities nationwide. The Foundation also has an active research agenda focusing on financial fraud in America, and it sponsors a variety of studies to help us understand what works when it comes to financial education and protection.

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National Financial Capability Study

Individuals and families must grapple with a bewildering variety of financial decisions. Even basic decisions require financial knowledge and competency, while more complicated decisions can challenge experts. In consultation with federal agencies, the FINRA Foundation sponsors the National Financial Capability Study to benchmark indicators of financial capability and evaluate how these indicators vary with demographic, behavioral, attitudinal and financial literacy characteristics. The study examines:
  • Making ends meet
  • Planning ahead
  • Managing financial products
  • Financial knowledge and decision-making
The study began in 2009 and has been renewed every three years. The fourth and most recent wave of the study was conducted in 2018. All data and reports from the study are freely available. Together they provide one of the most detailed and important portraits available of Americans' financial knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors.

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Research

UPDATED: Understanding Financial Capability
Using data from the ongoing National Financial Capability Study, these research studies explore different elements of financial capability, including the financial knowledge, resources and habits of Americans.
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Aging and Financial Decision Making
Using data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, these research studies explore the relationships between the aging brain and important outcomes for financial decision making.
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Understanding and Combating Financial Fraud
These research studies examine factors that contribute to fraud victimization and scam susceptibility as well as interventions and preventative measures aimed at protecting consumers.
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Consumer Insights: Money and Investing
The series from the FINRA Foundation and NORC at the University of Chicago explores trends and circumstances affecting the way Americans manage and invest their money.
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Millennials and Investing
This study separates myth from reality when it comes to millennials and investing.
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Grants

The FINRA Foundation funds research that advances our understanding of financial capability and well-being.
General Grant Program

Essential Reading
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Does Overconfidence Increase Financial Risk Taking in Older Age?

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Investors in the United States 2019

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Exposed To Scams: What Separates Victims From Non-Victims?

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Does State-Mandated Financial Education Affect High-Cost Borrowing?

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Gender, Generation and Financial Knowledge: A Six-Year Perspective

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Financial Capability of Adults with Disabilities

 

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Fighting Fraud Through Timely Research

The FINRA Foundation and its partners are at the forefront of research to better understand the prevalence and types of fraud crimes committed in the United States, as well as research to reduce such crime and help victims.

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Consumer Financial Fraud eJournal

The FINRA Foundation sponsors this eJournal on the Social Science Research Network. Subscription is free.

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Evaluation and Research

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Empowering Investors With Social Annotation When Saving For Retirement

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Can Online Disclosure Design Affect Investor Understanding And Performance?

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