Carla Fried

Writer

About

Carla Fried is a freelance journalist who specializes in personal finance, with a keen interest in how behavioral issues impact consumer decisions. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Money magazine, Barron’s, Bloomberg, CNBC and Consumer Reports.

One stack of three wrapped groups of 100-dollar bills on a white background.
 Research Brief / Mergers and Acquisitions

Round-Number Bids Are Costly, but Up the Odds of a Deal

Buyers of private firms signal willingness to move fast 

An illustration of a man holding an umbrella standing ina sea of alarm clocks.
 Research Brief / Nudges

Lack of Urgency Can Undermine a Popular Behavioral Nudge

Encouraging pre-commitment to a future behavior helps people do hard things — but it can backfire  

A collage of faces in white frames on a light green background
 Research Brief / Investing

How a Stock Analyst’s Face Affects Their Earning Estimates

Trustworthy and dominant-seeming men: access to corporate management. Dominant-seeming women: not so much. 

A man sitting with his dog on the couch talking to his grandma on a cellphone
 Research Brief / Behavioral Decision Making

People Prioritize Shared Experiences, Even When Apart

People will endure inconvenience to synchronize events, regardless of proximity 

A side view of feet on a scale
 Research Brief / Health

Modest Financial Incentives Help with Weight Loss

Tying payments to weight, rather than behaviors, marginally more effective 

A crowd of people with their backs facing the viewer
 Research Question / Investing

When Individuals Concentrate in a Stock, Earnings Surprises Play Out Differently

Price movements can be more extreme 

A close-up of soapy green water
 Research Brief / Debt

The Debt Market’s Indirect Antidote to ESG Greenwashing

Loans that include a sweetener or penalty tied to ESG performance seem to induce more honest reporting 

An illustration in green of a lightbulb made up of various icons including a dollar sign, a piggy bank and the earth.
 Research Brief / Investing

ESG Investors in China Focused on Profit Potential of Climate Change

Less attention to downside of nation’s carbon-neutral goals 

 Research Brief / Gender

COVID-19 Tactics Varied by Gender Among Brazilian Mayors Running for Reelection

Notable differences in death rates; it appears candidates factored in voter gender bias 

Workers in a warehouse putting together packages
 Research Brief / Productivity

Startling Productivity Leap: an Algorithm, Not a Manager, Assigns Work

Warehouse pickers perceive process to be fairer 

A woman with long hair hangs up a for sale sign
 Research Question / Real Estate

Middlemen: Matchmakers or Sources of Strategic Information?

Probing that question using a database of for-sale-by-owner home listings 

An illustration of the word trademark etched on a gear
 Research Brief / Innovation

Tracking Product Trademarks Expands Understanding of Innovation

R&D outlays and patents alone don’t effectively measure corporate creativity 

A graphic illustration of the stock market
 Research Question / Markets

What Limited Attention Does to Efficient Market Theory

Stocks don’t react to news immediately because, well, we’re human 

An illustration of the outlines of a group of men and women, multicolored
 Research Brief / Gender

The Art of Selling Corporate Gender Equity Initiatives

Workforce doesn’t identify as feminist? Maybe don’t use that word