Over the past decade, concerns have been raised about the extent to which Americans as a whole are sufficiently financially literate to make the complex decisions required in the ever-changing financial marketplace. In response to these concerns, financial education, which aims to make consumers...

This paper analyzes 26 studies that assess the impact of financial education and counseling targeted to low- and moderate-income consumers. Most studies report significant and positive findings, but the magnitude of impacts is often small compared to a control group. The evidence of behavior...

This article reviews the evaluation literature on financial education and counseling for adults in order to synthesize implications for research and practice. Most evaluations report positive impacts, but the findings are often small when compared with valid comparison groups. Many evaluations...