Financial Literacy and the Limits of Financial Decision-Making

This book presents selected paperson the factors that serve to influence an individual s capacity in financialdecision-making. Initial chapters provide an overview of the cognitive factorsaffecting financial decisions and suggest a link between limited cognitivecapacity and the need for financial education. The book then expands on thesecognitive limitations to explore the tendency for overconfidence indecision-making and the interplay between rational and irrational factors. Later contributions show how credit card companies benefit from limitations inconsumer financial literacy, how gender and cognition intersect to play animportant role in financial decision-making, and how to improve financialcapacity through financial literacy and education campaigns, including thoseaddressing developed marketplaces. This comprehensive collection of papers willbe of value to all readers who seek to better understand the multi-factorialand complex nature of personal financial management in today s economicclimate.