Business Commons^™

Explaining Financial Inclusion: A Critical Realist Theory On The Role Of Financial Literacy, Bryan Bernabe, Jyro B. Triviño

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

The impact of financial inclusion on social groups' economic divide is explored in this study, which introduces a critical realist theory underscoring the crucial role of financial literacy elements—behavior, attitude, knowledge, and skills—in promoting financial inclusivity. Initially framing a positivist explanatory theory inspired by Jaccard & Jaccoby's work and existing literature, the study then refines this into a critical realist causal theory using Sayer's established principles. This shift toward a critical realist approach allows for a more comprehensive and sophisticated theoretical evolution. By delving into fundamental causal mechanisms and considering the impact of social structures and context, the critical realist …

Financial Literacy In College Today: Is It Needed?, Jasper Tatsuya Lem

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Californians are facing several financial crises, headlined by 4.5 million Californians falling below the poverty line, a 4.2% unemployment rate, and the fall of Silicon Valley Bank in early March 2023. In the face of these perilous circumstances, it is worth asking if California’s education system could be improved to accommodate more financial literacy classes. Currently, the Golden State does not mandate a financial literacy course in any level of education, kindergarten through senior year of college. Previous research indicates that financial literacy courses would be more effective if mandated in college courses rather than high school. However, there has …

Asset-Rich And Cash-Poor: Which Older Adults Value Reverse Mortgages?, Joelle H. Fong, Olivia S. Mitchell, Benedict S. K. Koh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Home equity represents a substantial share of retirement wealth for many older persons, particularly in Asia where national housing policies have encouraged home-ownership. This paper explored the potential for reverse mortgages to help 'asset-rich and cash-poor' older Singaporeans unlock their home equity while ageing in place. The empirical analysis was based on a nationally representative survey of home-owners age 50+ in the 2018 Singapore Life Panel (N = 6,258). Our analyses showed that the average older home-owner holds some 60 per cent of total net wealth in housing equity, suggestive of high demand potential for reverse mortgage products. Nevertheless, actual …

Indebted To My Education: Examining College Graduates’ Perceptions Of Student Loan Repayment, Vincent D. Carales, Mauricio Molina

Journal of Student Financial Aid

In this paper, we examine college graduates’ perceptions of entering student loan repayment and how they navigated this process. Findings highlight the importance of helping students make informed borrowing decisions, particularly as they begin repaying their student loan debt. Policy makers wishing to hold institutions accountable for keeping college affordable while enhancing financial aid policy will gain further insight.

Source Credibility In The Community Service Of Financial Literacy For Indonesian Vocational School Students, Neneng Salmiah, Afred Suci, Rita Wiyati

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This paper examines the credibility of source persons for community service projects in improving financial literacy for vocational school students in Indonesia. Improving financial literacy among Indonesian youth is a long-term effort that requires multi- collaboration between the government, financial institutions, educational institutions, NGOs, and other stakeholders. Despite its substandard position to Singapore, Myanmar, and Malaysia, Indonesia’s financial literacy proficiency has improved significantly—one of which—after being catalyzed by the government’s cooperation with higher education institutions through community service programs. However, amid these improvements, greater attention must be given to capital markets, whose literacy level is most deficient compared to the …

The Relationships Among Financial Literacy, Financial Behaviors, Financial Attitudes, And Homeownership Within Low-Moderate Income Households In Los Angeles County, Aliyu Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how financial literacy, financial capability, financial self-efficacy, and future time perspective affect the likelihood of low-moderate income (LMI) households in Los Angeles County owning a home and holding a mortgage. It draws on existing literature on financial literacy, financial capability, financial self-efficacy, future time perspective, and homeownership to develop a theoretical framework that identifies the factors that influence LMI households’ access to homeownership. Using secondary data merged from six surveys conducted by the University of Southern California (USC) Understanding America Study (UAS) from 2015 to 2022, it analyzes the relationships among financial literacy, financial behaviors, financial attitudes, …

A Primer On The Income Tax Consequences Of The Ncaa’S Name, Image And Likeness (Nil) Earnings For College Athletes, Marena M. Messina, Frank M. Messina

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

NCAA domestic college athletes can now financially benefit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The purpose of this article is to “educate” athletes on the new NIL rules in financial literacy. With new NIL income flowing to athletes, federal income tax consequences of these transactions must be addressed. This article results in a detailed introduction to the applicable federal tax rules regarding NIL income for athletes to stay in compliance with those laws. From understanding NIL income, to how the tax formula works, what tax forms apply, and what taxes may be due, this article provides a comprehensive toolkit …

Planning For Debt: An Analysis Of Drivers Of Financial Knowledge On Individual Debt Strategy, Nicholas A. Hughes

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This study aims to provide insight into the relationships between proven significant drivers of financial knowledge (numeracy, cognitive ability, mathematics anxiety, and financial literacy) and an individual's premeditated strategy to tackle their student loans. From a sample of 160 undergraduate students, we find few significant results that affirm the hypotheses of the study. However, we also determine that several descriptive factors (i.e., general mathematical skill, anticipated level of debt and interest to be repaid, etc.) vary by an extremely wide margin, suggesting that students lack the very skills necessary to calculate and deal with their own loans. Additionally, we find …

Teaching Users About Real World Of Finance, Aurobindo Ghosh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In a commentary, SMU Assistant Professor of Finance (Education) and Director of Citi-Foundation SMU Financial Literacy Programme for Young Adults Aurobindo Ghosh shared his views on the metaverse and the opportunities to make money in the metaverse economy. While pointing out that lowering the cost of service and standardising service, as a virtual banking establishment, might increase customer experience for financial services, Asst Prof Ghosh cited a 2021 survey conducted by the Citi-Foundation SMU Financial Literacy Programme which found evidence that financial inclusion among young adults reduces impediments to banking like access to branches and documentation requirements.

A Case For Improved Financial Literacy Education In The United States, Nicholas Kinsella

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this paper was to analyze what financial literacy is and explain in detail the shortfalls that the United States is currently facing in their financial literacy education. This paper will lay out the movement of states and colleges including more personal finance curriculum in their graduation requirements, why a financial literate population is important to topics such as managing student loan debt, retirement planning, professional development, and mental health among others. It will then conclude covering ways to improve current financial literacy education strategies with technology, experiential learning, and transparency.

Financial Literacy And Consumer Protection: A Road Map To Digital Financial Access By Smes In Kenya, Salome M. Musau Dr., Stephen M. Muathe Dr., Lucy W. Mwangi Dr.

The Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance

This paper seeks to ascertain the influence of financial literacy and financial consumer protection on digital financial access. The objectives of the study were to find out the effect of financial literacy on digital monetary access, and to find out the effect of f consumer financial protection on digital access of finances of SMEs in Sub County of Ruiru in County government of Kiambu, Kenya. Financial Literacy Theory, Information Asymmetry Theory and Social Learning Theory are the theories that guided formulation of study’s objectives. Descriptive research design was used with the population of interest comprising of all SMEs owners in …

Entrepreneuring Ahead While Helping Others, Anna Haotanto

Perspectives@SMU

Anna Haotanto is a living example of what financial prudence and planning can create. In this month of celebrating women, her advice to women is to achieve financial freedom so that they too can finance their dreams

Financial Literacy And Behavior In Credit Unions: An Exploration Of Member Financial Literacy And Financial Behavior In The Credit Union Model, Peter R. Fisher

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Financial literacy is economically essential and plays a critical role in an individual’s overall financial capability, yet financial literacy is declining. Financial knowledge has been linked to financial behavior, with financially literate individuals displaying positive financial behaviors while those with lower financial knowledge exhibit poor financial behavior. Credit unions are member-owned financial cooperatives whose purpose is to support their membership’s social and economic goals. Credit unions are well-positioned to deliver financial literacy to members (McKillop & Wilson, 2015). This study examined financial literacy and behavior among credit union members and compared the financial literacy of credit union members with results …

Pre-Mentoring Training On Financial Literacy For Small Business Owners, Marwa Abduljawad

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Small business owners are continuously faced with challenges to grow their business. These challenges are not only related to market conditions, some of them are associated with the business owner's lack of knowledge or skills; thus, many of them seek mentoring opportunities. This project explores the knowledge gap between the mentor and mentee, with a focus on financial literacy and how it impacts mentoring outcomes. A needs assessment was done to assess this performance problem through interviewing project SME’s, surveying stakeholders, and literature review. Based on the findings, a self-paced micro eLearning was proposed with an instructional goal of the …

Gender Differences In Self-Attribution And Overconfidence In Financial Decisions, Aine M. Ford

Student Publications

Behavioral finance and the study into biases is a rapidly increasing area of interest for finance professionals and academics alike. Understanding the sources of overconfidence and the self-attribution bias from a gendered framework can provide insight for managers and industry leaders to insulate their firms from underperformance losses due to these biases. Education and relevant financial experience are key controllable variables that impact overconfidence and self- attribution. Using a survey sent to around 130 students and finance professionals, gender, education, and relevant experience were tested against overconfidence and self-attributional scores to determine if there were any meaningful relationships. The results …

Enhancing Financial Literacy Among College Athletes, Lisa M. Rubin, Mindy Joseph, Sonya Lutter, Daron K. Roberts, Julian J. Jones

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

College students, including athletes, have limited exposure to financial education prior to enrolling in college (Britt et al., 2015). Athletes juggling two full-time roles as athlete and college student have limited time for financial education and the opportunity to work. Some athletes receive athletic scholarships and some do not, but either way, many athletes must seek additional funding and student loans to pay for college. Huston’s (2010) model demonstrated connections between financial literacy, behaviors, and education to serve as a framework for our study. The purpose of this study was to determine college athletes’ subjective and objective financial literacy, how …

A University Student’S Perspective On Financial Literacy, Matthew Braley

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Financial literacy is one of the most important, if not the most important topic students need to prepare them for their future. This should be obvious, yet it still does not have a permanent place in the curriculum. Many financial literacy organizations, such as the Council for Economic Education, National Jump$tart Coalition, and Next Gen Personal Finance, are making great progress to get financial education in schools throughout the United States. However, there are many young adults that have missed the window of opportunity to obtain financial education in school. The beginning of this paper will address the current state …

Trust And Retirement Preparedness: Evidence From Singapore, Benedict S. K. Koh, Olivia S. Mitchell, Joelle H. Fong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Trust is an essential component of any financial system, and distrust can undermine savings and economic growth. Our study draws on the Singapore Life Panel to assess how trust ties to older respondents’ (1) pension plan participation and withdrawals; (2) life, health, and long-term care insurance holdings; and (3) stock market engagement. We show that the widely-used ‘trust in people’ question is uncorrelated with household behaviours related to retirement preparedness. Instead, trust in private and public financial representatives is positively associated with pension savings, investments, and insurance holdings. Financial literacy also plays an important and consistent role in retirement decision-making.

Financial Literacy And Financial Decision-Making At Older Ages, Joelle H. Fong, Seng Kee Benedict Koh, Olivia S. Mitchell, Susann Rohwedder

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

How well older households manage their wealth holdings is an important determinant of their financial security during retirement, yet little is known about their financial decision-making and how this relates to their financial literacy. Our paper fills this gap by measuring financial literacy among older persons in the Singapore Life Panel and examining its association with timely credit card debt repayment, stock market participation, and age-based investment risk diversification. Most older respondents understand interest compounding and inflation, but fewer than half know about risk diversification. Almost all older credit card holders pay off their balances in a timely manner, but …

Pisa 2018: Financial Literacy In Australia, Sue Thomson, Lisa De Bortoli, Catherine Underwood, Marina Schmid

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 is the seventh cycle of PISA since it was first conducted in 2000 and measures students’ skills in the core areas of reading literacy, mathematical literacy and scientific literacy. Since PISA 2012, financial literacy has been included as an additional optional assessment that accompanies the core assessments. In Australia, the financial literacy assessment is funded by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. This report presents the results for the third assessment of financial literacy and focuses on the measurement of financial literacy for Australia as a whole and for different demographic groups, …

Informing The Creation Of A Financial Literacy Tool For Cal Poly Students, Kelly Michelle Carroll

Communication Studies

This research project examines the wants, needs, and desires of Cal Poly students to inform the creation of a financial literacy tool (tentatively named “MoneySmart”) to be created by another student. The methodologies used to gauge these metrics were a literature review and questionnaire. The literature review aids in understanding research regarding the current state of student financial literacy in the United States, including student attitudes toward the topic. Subsequent findings were used to create the questionnaire, which inquired about students’ financial stress, confidence in their abilities to manage their personal finances, specific interests for the design and contents of …

A Tale Of Two Cities, Maybe Three A Look At Financial Literacy And Economic Development In Three Mississippi Cities: Fulton, Clarksdale, And Oxford, Kellie Reed Cleveland

Honors Theses

This paper explores the backbones of economic growth and how the backbones influence economic development in three cities in Mississippi. It further seeks to promote education in financial literacy throughout the state to create a base for individuals to further their financial education, create small businesses, or to simply be a knowledgeable citizen. The research sifts through backbones such as population health and small & big business influence, to explore how financial literacy influences daily life and the catalyst for businesses to start and grow. The Mississippi cities Fulton, Clarksdale, and Oxford are studied more in-depth through photos of the …

Young Adult Financial Literacy And Its Underlying Factors, Emily Meyers

Honors Theses

This thesis discusses the current state of financial education and young adult financial literacy in the United States. Financial literacy is the level of personal finance knowledge an individual requires to make beneficial financial decisions. The United States faces a financial literacy crisis in young adults evidenced by failing scores of assessments administered by the Jump$tart Coalition, a leader in researching financial literacy in young adults. This thesis presents research and analysis of personal finance assessment scores from students of Franklin High School, Massachusetts. Assessments were administered to personal finance, business, and history students. The majority of students failed the …

Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs’ Strategies For Financial Inclusion: A Generic Qualitative Inquiry, Oluwatoyin Madein

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women in Nigeria are approximately 50% of the population and operate significantly in the micro, small, and medium enterprises. Women entrepreneurs in Nigeria are experiencing business failure, early exit, stagnant growth, and low return on investment due to inadequate finance. This study’s specific management problem is that many women entrepreneurs in Nigeria lack strategies to develop financial literacy and access to external loans for business sustainability. Using the concepts of financial inclusion and financial exclusion, the purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to explore the strategies women entrepreneurs use and whether they have the required experience and knowledge of financial …

Developing Financial Literacy Skills For A Secondary Transition Program For Students With Learning Differences, Rose Marie Borillo, Becki Cohill, Susan Macdermott

San Marcos, Fall 2019

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), schools are required to provide transition planning for students with disabilities and mental illness by age 16 (Eismann et al, 2017). Occupational therapists have been underutilized in secondary transition planning, despite their expertise in targeting functional abilities, comprehension, and health using activity analysis to promote skill attainment and achieve independence (Mankey 2012; Eismann et al, 2017).

At the Winston School, there was no formal transition program aside from the individual college counseling provided by a staff member. A coordinated transition program was indicated to prepare students for life after high school to …

Information Sources That Influence The Financial Literacy Of Puerto Rican College Students, Enid Alvarez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers agree that Puerto Ricans lack basic financial knowledge that would allow them to participate in the financial system actively. However, the literature did not provide any data about the knowledge transmission practices that Puerto Ricans use to gather and transmit financial knowledge. As a result, there was a limited understanding of the social learning processes used by Puerto Rican college students to make financial decisions. Using consumer socialization and family financial socialization models as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to identify the information sources that Puerto Ricans use to gather financial knowledge. A …

The Connection Between Financial Literacy And Numeracy: A Case Study From India, J.D Jayaraman, Saigeetha Jambunathan, Kenneth Counselman

Numeracy

Making financial decisions involves mathematical calculations, both simple and complex. It is a well-documented fact that financial literacy levels among young people all over the world are quite low and that these low levels contribute to various undesirable outcomes with respect to personal financial well-being and the economy as a whole. This study explores the relationship between financial literacy and numeracy by measuring and modeling the relationship between financial literacy and numeracy levels among high school students (N = 586) in India. The results show a strong relationship between numeracy and financial literacy skills. Low numeracy is associated with …

A Financial Epidemic: How Financial Literacy Affects College Students’ Financial Management Practices And The Debt Crisis In America, Mikala Styles

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Debt levels are rising significantly in America. More and more people are accumulating debt in the forms of mortgages, student loans, credit cards, and car loans. Basic financial principles such as saving, budgeting, investing, and paying bills are not being utilized consistently by the average individual. This is because of financial illiteracy. The vast majority of Americans do not have the basic knowledge and understanding of these financial concepts to adequately put them into practice in their daily lives. This study focuses on the levels of college students’ financial literacy, how that pertains to the rising debt crisis, and explores …

Finance Day At Ua, Shelby Amatangelo

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Financial stability cannot be built overnight. It takes years of working, saving, investing and planning to develop and maintain financial stability. However, one poor financial decision can destroy a person’s financial stability that they spent years creating. Over 25% of high school students believe that they will be unprepared to manage their finances upon high school graduation (Cooley, 2013). While 43 states require that K-12 standards in financial literacy, only 35 of them are required to be implemented (Heath, 2016). Furthermore, only 17 states require that a high school course in personal finance be taken to graduate and only 6 …

A Study Of Undergraduate Personal Finance Courses At Public Universities In The Pacific Northwest Using An Action Research Approach, Melody Bell

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to examine undergraduate personal finance course instruction with a specific focus on student loan debt instruction at public universities in Oregon. This study focused on the central research question: What is the scope, sequence, and emphasis on the curriculum in undergraduate financial education courses and how could it be improved? Four personal finance professors from four public universities in Oregon participated in the study; with one of the universities serving as the focus. The first stage after the proposed study was to audit the personal finance course at the focus university. The …