ERIC Number: EJ1347083
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1052-3073
EISSN: EISSN-1947-7910
Available Date: N/A
What, Me Worry? Financial Knowledge Overconfidence and the Perception of Emergency Fund Needs
Lee, Sunwoo Tessa; Hanna, Sherman D.
Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, v33 n1 p140-155 2022
We examined the association between financial knowledge overconfidence and the perception of emergency fund needs using the 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) dataset. Only 28% of respondents reported a perceived amount of emergency funds needed that would cover at least three months of estimated spending. We conducted an OLS regression analysis on the log of the ratio of perceived emergency fund needs to household monthly expenditure. Overconfident respondents perceived a ratio 21.4% lower than those who had objective and subjective financial knowledge above median levels. Overconfident respondents might be underestimating emergency fund needs, suggesting the importance of not only increasing objective financial knowledge but also making consumers aware of the limitations of their financial knowledge.
Descriptors: Money Management, Knowledge Level, Self Esteem, Decision Making, Financial Needs, Expenditures, Income
Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education. 1500 West Third Avenue Suite 223, Columbus, OH 43212. Tel: 614-485-9650; Fax: 614-485-9621; Web site: https://connect.springerpub.com/content/sgrjfcp
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A