Researcher

Economists are beginning to investigate the causes and consequences of financial illiteracy to better understand why retirement planning is lacking and why so many households arrive close to retirement with little or no wealth. Our review reveals that many households are unfamiliar with even the most basic economic concepts needed to make saving and investment decisions.

We compare wealth holdings across two cohorts of the Health and Retirement Study: the early Baby Boomers in 2004, and individuals in the same age group in 1992. Levels and patterns of total net worth have changed relatively little over time, though Boomers rely more on housing equity than their predecessors. Most important, planners in both cohorts arrive close to retirement with much higher wealth levels and display higher financial literacy than non-planners.

This presentation reviews the state of federal spending and discusses the role of improved financial literacy as part of a three-pronged strategy (1) Improve Financial Reporting, Public Education, and Performance Metrics (2) Strengthen Budget and Legislative Processes and Controls (3) Fundamental Reexamination & Transformation for the 21stCentury (i.e., entitlement programs, other spending, and tax policy). The slides describe GAO's work on advancing financial literacy, including a review of the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, and participation the Fiscal Wake Up Tour.

The Financial Literacy and Education Improvement Act created, in December 2003, the Financial Literacy and Education Commission. Responding to the act’s mandate that GAO assess the Commission’s effectiveness, this report reviews its progress in (1) developing a national strategy; (2) developing a Web site and hotline; and (3) coordinating federal efforts and promoting partnerships among the federal, state, local, nonprofit, and private sectors.