Topic: Personal Finance

A small, medium and large cup of black coffee each in a white cup on a white saucer Research Brief / Consumer Behavior

What’s Behind the Consumer Preference for the Middle Ground

Capturing how decisions are driven by a habitual preference for moderation

Visual illustration of data Research Brief / Investing

A Solution to the Debate over Momentum’s Cause?

Investors may underreact when information arrives in small, continuous bits

Computer screen with stock trading software Research Brief / Trading

One Data Set That Warns Against Margin Trading

As a group, Chinese futures traders more likely to suffer margin call than to profit

Research Brief / Nudges

Fresh-Start Framing Boosts Retirement Plan Participation

A behavioral nudge passes a real-world test with 6,000 workers

Close-up angled image of someone's eye. The eye is reflecting a beach landscape Research Brief / Personal Finance

Do Money Troubles Make It Harder to Daydream?

Popular notion that the poor console themselves with fantasy is perhaps more a comfort to the rich

Elderly couple looking through paperwork and receipts Research Brief / Banking

Did Bank Capital Rules Make Credit Card Borrowing More Expensive?

Though defaults are low, rates on credit card loan-backed notes are high

A person crossing the street and holding three Gucci shopping bags Research Brief / Nudges

Does Spending Mean You’re Wealthy?

To many, yes, and that belief leads to lower levels of financial well-being

Overview of a downtown city scape Research Brief / Unemployment

Consumer Spending and Jobless Data: a Peculiar Threshold

A 12-month high in local unemployment triggers savings behavior

Woman paying bills with a computer Research Brief / Student Loans

Education Pays Off Handsomely, but Borrowing for It Makes People Unhappy

Student debt weighs on happiness more than mortgages or credit card loans

Illustration of binoculars Research Brief / Marketing

When Does the Future Begin?

Believing it arrives sooner leads people to, well, prepare for it

Aerial shot of downtown Los Angeles freeways Research Brief / Housing

Rising Rents Force Families to Curtail Spending on Food and Health Care

Cost burdens affect half of U.S. households that rent, as housing shortage worsens

Illustration of people as wind-up toys Research Brief / Retirement

Americans Sacrifice $3.4 Trillion by Claiming Social Security Too Soon

Can nudges, tailored to personality traits, persuade retirees to wait?

Illustration of a woman meditating Research Brief / Personal Finance

Good Information Alone Won’t Drive Financial Well-Being

A review of academic research finds the path to saving more and spending less often involves emotional prompts

Person using a computer to check their 401K Research Brief / Retirement Planning

Maximizing Retirement Savings: More Nudging Required

Tweaking 401(k) website design and language can significantly boost worker contributions, yet HR doesn’t always see these opportunities

Woman shopping for a new home Research Brief / Personal Finance

How Will You Spend Your IPO Windfall?

“Uh, I already bought a house”: Tech workers spend ahead of actual stock sales

Illustration of bond certificates as a boat in the ocean filled with water Research Brief / Bond Market

A ‘Safer’ Treasury Bond

The government’s floating rate notes feature an added measure of security: higher interest earnings in times of rising rates