Credit counseling: a substitute for consumer financial literacy?

Is financial literacy a substitute or complement for financial advice? We analyze the decision by consumers to seek financial advice in the form of credit counseling. Credit counseling is an important component of the consumer credit sector for consumers facing debt problems. Our analysis accounts f...

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Main Authors: Disney, Richard, Gathergood, John, Weber, Jörg
Format: Article
Published: Cambridge University Press 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31375/
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author Disney, Richard
Gathergood, John
Weber, Jörg
author_facet Disney, Richard
Gathergood, John
Weber, Jörg
author_sort Disney, Richard
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Is financial literacy a substitute or complement for financial advice? We analyze the decision by consumers to seek financial advice in the form of credit counseling. Credit counseling is an important component of the consumer credit sector for consumers facing debt problems. Our analysis accounts for the endogeneity of an individual's financial situation to financial literacy, and the endogeneity of financial literacy to exposure to credit counseling. Results show counseling substitutes for financial literacy. Individuals with better literacy are 60% less likely to use credit counseling. These results suggest that credit counseling provides a safety net for poor financial literacy.
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spelling nottingham-313752020-05-04T17:15:52Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31375/ Credit counseling: a substitute for consumer financial literacy? Disney, Richard Gathergood, John Weber, Jörg Is financial literacy a substitute or complement for financial advice? We analyze the decision by consumers to seek financial advice in the form of credit counseling. Credit counseling is an important component of the consumer credit sector for consumers facing debt problems. Our analysis accounts for the endogeneity of an individual's financial situation to financial literacy, and the endogeneity of financial literacy to exposure to credit counseling. Results show counseling substitutes for financial literacy. Individuals with better literacy are 60% less likely to use credit counseling. These results suggest that credit counseling provides a safety net for poor financial literacy. Cambridge University Press 2015-10-01 Article PeerReviewed Disney, Richard, Gathergood, John and Weber, Jörg (2015) Credit counseling: a substitute for consumer financial literacy? Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, 14 (04). pp. 466-491. ISSN 1475-3022 Credit counseling; financial advice; financial literacy; household finance http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S1474747215000219 doi:10.1017/S1474747215000219 doi:10.1017/S1474747215000219
spellingShingle Credit counseling; financial advice; financial literacy; household finance
Disney, Richard
Gathergood, John
Weber, Jörg
Credit counseling: a substitute for consumer financial literacy?
title Credit counseling: a substitute for consumer financial literacy?
title_full Credit counseling: a substitute for consumer financial literacy?
title_fullStr Credit counseling: a substitute for consumer financial literacy?
title_full_unstemmed Credit counseling: a substitute for consumer financial literacy?
title_short Credit counseling: a substitute for consumer financial literacy?
title_sort credit counseling: a substitute for consumer financial literacy?
topic Credit counseling; financial advice; financial literacy; household finance
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31375/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31375/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31375/