Financial Literacy: an Overview of Practice, Research, and Policy

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Financial Literacy: an Overview of Practice, Research, and Policy Financial Literacy: An Overview of Practice, Research, and Policy Sandra Braunstein and Carolyn Welch, of the Board's cial information. The timing and format of training, Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, pre- as well as human traits such as aversion to change, pared this article. play a role in whether programs will effect positive change that contributes to households' long-term In recent years, financial literacy has gained the atten- financial well-being. Accounting for all the variables tion of a wide range of major banking companies, associated with financial literacy training—when, government agencies, grass-roots consumer and com- how, and where it is delivered, who is trained, munity interest groups, and other organizations. Inter- and what information is presented—poses a great ested groups, including policymakers, are concerned challenge for program developers. Given the that consumers lack a working knowledge of finan- resources now devoted to financial literacy training, cial concepts and do not have the tools they need to this is an opportune time to evaluate the research, make decisions most advantageous to their economic identify best practices, and consider public policy well-being. Such financial literacy deficiencies can options that would further the goal of creating more affect an individual's or family's day-to-day money financially savvy consumers. management and ability to save for long-term goals such as buying a home, seeking higher education, or financing retirement. Ineffective money management CHANGES PROMPTING INCREASED ATTENTION can also result in behaviors that make consumers TO FINANCIAL LITERACY. vulnerable to severe financial crises. Numerous factors have led to a complex, specialized From a broader perspective, market operations and financial services marketplace that requires consum- competitive forces are compromised when consum- ers to be actively engaged if they are to manage their ers do not have the skills to manage their finances finances effectively. The forces of technology and effectively. Informed participants help create a more market innovation, driven by increased competition, competitive, more efficient market. As knowledge- have resulted in a sophisticated industry in which able consumers demand products that meet their consumers are offered a broad spectrum of services short- and long-term financial needs, providers com- by a wide array of providers. Compelling consumer pete to create products having the characteristics that issues, such as the very visible issue of predatory best respond to those demands. lending, high levels of consumer debt, and low sav- As concern about financial literacy has increased, ing rates, have also added to the sense of urgency so too have the number and variety of financial surrounding financial literacy. Other important demo- literacy training programs and program providers— graphic and market trends contributing to concerns some offering comprehensive information on sav- include increased diversity of the population, result- ings, credit, and similar topics for a broad audience ing in households that may face language, cultural, or and others tailored to a specific group, such as youth other barriers to establishing a banking relationship; or military personnel, or focused on a specific goal, expanded access to credit for younger populations; such as home ownership or savings. and increased employee responsibility for directing The findings of studies of the effectiveness their own investments in employer-sponsored retire- of financial literacy training have been mixed. ment and pension plans. Although some programs, particularly those having discrete objectives, have succeeded in improving certain aspects of consumers' personal financial Technological Changes management—such as maintaining a mortgage, and Market Innovation. increasing savings, or participating in employer- sponsored benefit plans—improved financial behav- Over the past decade, technological advances have ior does not necessarily follow from increased finan- transformed nearly every aspect of the marketing, delivery, and processing of financial products and However, consumers may have difficulty assessing services. The expansion of the Internet as a means the options, and a misguided choice can result in of communicating and delivering services has also higher costs due to monthly fees, overdrafts, or exces- enabled financial services providers to market finan- sive transactions. cial products and serve customers more efficiently. Market innovation has also prompted deregulation Communication and delivery innovations increase of the banking industry. As competition from non- the amount of information available to consumers banking institutions has increased over time, banks and allow them to shop for and choose from a wide have devised ways to offer products to customers array of products and services without geographic outside the bank-regulated structure. In response to limitation. To benefit from the innovations, however, these market realities, legislation was passed in 1999 consumers need a base level of financial knowledge, to eliminate the regulatory barriers that had prohib- so that they can identify and access pertinent informa- ited banks from engaging in the sale of securities tion as well as evaluate the credibility of the source and insurance, enabling bank-owned financial hold- of the information. ing companies to become one-stop financial services Technological advances have also increased the providers. This legislation (the Gramm-Leach-Bliley capacity for targeted marketing to consumers, with Act), recognizing the activities already occurring robust databases of consumer information making it within the marketplace, facilitated financial modern- possible to match household characteristics and pref- ization and promoted a more efficient financial ser- erences with product offerings. This application of vices industry. However, the expansion of financial technology can promote competition and improve products offered by banking organizations, for exam- customer service. However, its misuse can increase ple, securities and insurance, requires consumers to consumer vulnerability to unscrupulous lenders. become more aware of the distinction between these Questionable marketing and sales tactics may induce products and to recognize that they do not convey the consumers to acquire products that they do not need same consumer protections and rights as traditional or that are inappropriate for their circumstances. banking products. In addition to broadening the application of data- bases in marketing, technology has enabled the use of databases in loan underwriting. Using statistical mod- Rise in Questionable eling, sophisticated computer programs produce a Mortgage Lending Practices. numerically based risk profile of consumers to estab- lish a range of acceptable risk and to develop guide- An increase in anecdotal reports of unfair and lines for pricing credit. While credit-scoring tech- deceptive home equity lending practices in the late nology has increased loan production and decreased 1990s raised concerns about the scope and impact creditor costs, it has also diminished lender-customer of unscrupulous credit arrangements, commonly interaction. With the lack of personal involve- referred to as predatory lending. Investigations and ment, consumers, particularly those unfamiliar with public hearings by federal, state, and local govern- banking and credit systems, have limited means ment agencies to identify possibly unethical or preda- for obtaining insight on the elements in their finan- tory mortgage lending practices revealed that in many cial profile that affect decisionmaking and guidance cases the terms of such contracts are not technically on the course of action necessary to improve their illegal but rather are inappropriate for and disadvanta- creditworthiness. geous to consumers. An example is a loan structured Market innovation and competition within the with relatively small fixed payments in the early financial services industry can also be seen in the years but a large ''balloon'' payment at the end of the increase in the variety of products offered by deposi- loan term. Such a structure recognizes that a younger tory institutions. For example, basic deposit and borrower's future earning potential is generally credit products have multiplied and become highly greater than his or her current income and assumes specialized. In addition, there has been a proliferation that the borrower will be able to refinance at the end of nonbank providers of financial services, such as of the loan term. While the arrangement makes mort- payday lenders and check cashers. (The number of gage payments more affordable for some borrowers, check-cashing centers has doubled over the past five it can be devastating to those living on fixed incomes. years, according to Financial Service Centers of Efforts by government agencies to better under- America, Inc.) These developments have given con- stand predatory lending have generally found that the sumers more options and greater flexibility in creat- distortion or inappropriate use of credit provisions, ing financial arrangements that best suit their needs. coupled with the inherent complexity of mortgage lending, sometimes results in borrowers becoming payments on mortgage and consumer debt as a share entangled in a financially devastating credit quag- of disposable income—reaching near-record levels. mire.
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