Publication Date
October 2008Author(s)
Janneke RatcliffeNational experts recommend academic research that could inform outcomes-based financial education, relevant public policy, and effective practices leading to personal and family financial security.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury and U.S. Department of Agriculture convened the National Research Symposium on Financial Literacy and Education on October 6-7, 2008 in Washington, D.C. Twenty-nine experts from the fields of behavioral and consumer economics, financial risk assessment and financial education evaluation, including UNC Center for Community Capital Executive Director Janneke Ratcliffe, were invited to summarize existing research findings, identify gaps in the literature, and define and prioritize questions for future analysis. Participants included academics from public and private universities and scholars and administrators from non-profit organizations and government officials. Numerous individuals also attended as observers.
The goal of the symposium was to provide a viewpoint on academic research priorities that could inform outcomes-based financial education, relevant public policy, and effective practices leading to personal and family financial security.
The symposium is one of the calls to action in the federal government’s Taking Ownership of the Future: The National Strategy for Financial Literacy (2006) developed by the 20-agency Financial Literacy and Education Commission.
This document summarizes the proceedings of the symposium and as such it reflects the views solely of the participants cited.