This paper examines whether biased income expectations due to overconfidence lead to higher levels of debt-taking. We show suggestive evidence for a link between overconfidence and borrowing behavior in a representative survey of German households (GSOEP-IS). This motivates a laboratory...

This paper analyzes the state and impact of financial literacy in a so far largely neglected group: the middle class in emerging economies. This group is of increasing importance for implementing structural change, including the proper use of sophisticated financial products. We survey middle...

This research challenges the stylized fact of a gender gap in financial literacy, i.e. the finding that women lag behind men in this respect. Our data which samples middle-class people from Bangkok does not show a gender gap, neither in regards to financial literacy nor regarding various kinds...

Our study aims to uncover the roots of financial literacy. Better financial literacy predicts more informed savings and borrowing decisions in our sample, covering the urban middle-class in an emerging economy. We then test education at school, family background, parental teaching, and childhood...

Why do some people make better financial decisions than others do? The level of financial literacy plays an important role: Quality schooling that also deals with financial issues likewise leads to better financial decisions. However, many studies neglect how parenting also influences financial...

Warum treffen manche Leute bessere finanzielle Entscheidungen als andere? Eine wichtige Rolle spielt dabei das Niveau der Finanzbildung. Eine gute Schulbildung, die sich auch mit wirtschaftlichen Fragestellungen auseinandersetzt, führt ebenfalls zu besseren Finanzentscheidungen. Viele Studien...

Financial literacy predicts informed financial decisions, but what explains financial literacy? We use the concept of financial socialization and aim to represent three major agents of financial socialization: family, school and work. Thus we compile twelve relevant childhood characteristics in...

While financial inclusion is typically addressed by improving the financial infrastructure we show that financial literacy, representing the demand-side of financial markets, also has a beneficial effect. We study this effect at the cross-country level, which allows to consider institutional...

For social and economic reasons, national economies benefit from the inclusion of as many people as possible in financial services. In a cross country study, the present study shows that financial literacy for the general population promotes financial inclusion. This relationship goes beyond the...

Moderne Gesellschaften profitieren aus sozialen und ökonomischen Gründen von der Teilhabe möglichst aller Menschen an finanziellen Dienstleistungen, das heißt von finanzieller Inklusion. Diese Studie zeigt in einem Ländervergleich, dass durch finanzielle Bildung der Bevölkerung die...