Third in the series of Boston University–sponsored conferences titled “The Future of Life-Cycle Saving and Investing,” the May 2011 conference again brought together academic researchers, educators, advisers, and regulators.
Third in the series of Boston University–sponsored conferences titled
“The Future of Life-Cycle Saving and Investing,” the May 2011
conference again brought together academic researchers, educators, advisers, and
regulators. This time, we analyzed the gaps in consumers’ current
financial knowledge, how those gaps might be narrowed through financial
education programs, and how consumer protection regarding financial products
might be strengthened—with a focus on low- and middle-income households.
Although there was general agreement that consumers of financial products and
services make many costly mistakes, there was also considerable disagreement
about relying primarily on consumer financial education programs to correct
those mistakes.