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.

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 next wave of the study is taking place 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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The Ketchum Prize

This annual $10,000 prize spotlights researchers and educators who have made outstanding advances on behalf of investor protection and financial capability in the U.S.

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Grants

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

General Grant Program

Investors in the U.S. 2016

Check out this infographic on investors in the U.S. from the 2016 National Financial Capability Study.

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Essential Reading

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

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Financial Capability in the U.S. 2016

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Infographic: Financial Capability in the U.S. 2016

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Investors in the United States 2016

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Infographic: Investors in the United States 2016 - Investing Behaviors

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Financial Capability of Adults with Disabilities

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.

Groundbreaking Fraud Research

Measuring Financial Fraud in the U.S.

Non-Traditional Costs of Financial Fraud

Financial Fraud and Fraud Susceptibility in the United States

Learn More About Investor Protection Campaign Research

What Works

The FINRA Foundation supports rigorous research that guides those who help consumers. This takes the form of evaluation studies and experiments to demonstrate what works, what doesn’t and what needs to change so that Americans have what they need to make informed financial choices. After all, financial education is just too important to leave to untested assumptions and outmoded practices. Every student, every worker and everyone managing their retirement deserves access to financial education that is based on solid evidence of effectiveness.