IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jconsa/v49y2015i1p97-126.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Increasing Youth Financial Capability: An Evaluation of the MyPath Savings Initiative

Author

Listed:
  • VERNON LOKE
  • LAURA CHOI
  • MARGARET LIBBY

Abstract

type="main" xml:id="joca12066-abs-0001"> Although there has been mixed evidence from research on the efficacy of financial education efforts for youth, there is an emerging consensus that focusing on financial capability may be a more effective approach. This article examines the impact of the MyPath Savings pilot on 275 economically disadvantaged youth participating in a youth development and employment program. MyPath Savings targets youth earning their first paycheck—a critical “teachable moment” to promote savings and connect youth with mainstream financial products. The results indicate that MyPath Savings is highly relevant to participants' needs. In addition, youth experienced significant increases in financial knowledge, financial self-efficacy, and the frequency with which positive financial behaviors were carried out. Participants also saved an average of $507 through MyPath Savings. Gains in financial capability were mostly independent of the youths' race, gender, household income, and public benefits receipt. Possible factors for the promising results are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Vernon Loke & Laura Choi & Margaret Libby, 2015. "Increasing Youth Financial Capability: An Evaluation of the MyPath Savings Initiative," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 97-126, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jconsa:v:49:y:2015:i:1:p:97-126
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/joca.12066
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Fernandes & John G. Lynch & Richard G. Netemeyer, 2014. "Financial Literacy, Financial Education, and Downstream Financial Behaviors," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(8), pages 1861-1883, August.
    2. Melissa Schettini Kearney & Peter Tufano & Jonathan Guryan & Erik Hurst, 2010. "Making Savers Winners: An Overview of Prize-Linked Savings Products," NBER Working Papers 16433, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Patrick J. Bayer & B. Douglas Bernheim & John Karl Scholz, 2009. "The Effects Of Financial Education In The Workplace: Evidence From A Survey Of Employers," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 47(4), pages 605-624, October.
    4. Michael Sherraden & Mark Schreiner & Sondra Beverly, 2003. "Income, Institutions, and Saving Performance in Individual Development Accounts," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 17(1), pages 95-112, February.
    5. Han, Chang-Keun & Sherraden, Michael, 2009. "Do institutions really matter for saving among low-income households? A comparative approach," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 475-483, June.
    6. Ian Hathaway & Sameer Khatiwada, 2008. "Do financial education programs work?," Working Papers (Old Series) 0803, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
    7. Marianne Bertrand & Sendhil Mullainathan & Eldar Shafir, 2004. "A Behavioral-Economics View of Poverty," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(2), pages 419-423, May.
    8. Margaret Sherraden & Lissa Johnson & Baorong Guo & William Elliott, 2011. "Financial Capability in Children: Effects of Participation in a School-Based Financial Education and Savings Program," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 385-399, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. John de New & David Ribar & Christopher Ryan & Clement Wong, 2020. "Financial Outcomes in Adolescence and Early Adulthood in Australian Longitudinal Data," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 53(1), pages 126-138, March.
    2. Susnaningsih Muat & Nurul Shahnaz Mahdzan & Mohd Edil Abd Sukor, 2024. "What shapes the financial capabilities of young adults in the US and Asia-Pacific region? A systematic literature review," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Tim Kaiser & Lukas Menkhoff, 2017. "Does Financial Education Impact Financial Literacy and Financial Behavior, and If So, When?," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 31(3), pages 611-630.
    4. Hoffmann, Arvid O.I. & Plotkina, Daria, 2020. "Why and when does financial information affect retirement planning intentions and which consumers are more likely to act on them?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 411-431.
    5. Sheza Riaz & Hadi Hassan Khan & Bilal Sarwar & Wahab Ahmed & Noor Muhammad & Sajjida Reza & Sheikh Muhammad Nabeel Ul Haq, 2022. "Influence of Financial Social Agents and Attitude Toward Money on Financial Literacy: The Mediating Role of Financial Self-Efficacy and Moderating Role of Mindfulness," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(3), pages 21582440221, August.
    6. Sana Rashid & Zulfqar Ahmed Bowra & Abid Hussain, 2022. "An Empirical Investigation Of Financial Inclusion On Financial Wellbeing Of Working Women: A Mediating Role Of Financial Capability," Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 11(1), pages 14-23, March.
    7. Fu, Jonathan, 2020. "Ability or opportunity to act: What shapes financial well-being?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    8. Lu Fan, 2021. "A Conceptual Framework of Financial Advice-Seeking and Short- and Long-Term Financial Behaviors: An Age Comparison," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 90-112, March.
    9. Elise Frølich Furrebøe & Ellen Katrine Nyhus & Andrew Musau, 2023. "Gender differences in recollections of economic socialization, financial self‐efficacy, and financial literacy," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 69-91, January.
    10. Shikha Bhatia & Sonali Singh, 2024. "Exploring financial well-being of working professionals in the Indian context," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 29(2), pages 474-487, June.
    11. Arvid O. I. Hoffmann & Daria Plotkina, 2021. "Let your past define your future? How recalling successful financial experiences can increase beliefs of self‐efficacy in financial planning," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 55(3), pages 847-871, September.
    12. Sana Rashid & SMuhammad Bilal & SAbid Hussain & SManzoor Ahmad Shah, 2022. "Impact of Financial Inclusion on Financial Well-Being: Moderating Effect of Orientation towards Finance," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 4(2), pages 124-133.
    13. Rodríguez, Catherine & Saavedra, Juan E., 2019. "The persistent effects of youth savings reminders: Experimental evidence from text-message campaigns in Colombia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 135-156.
    14. Elise Frølich Furrebøe & Ellen Katrine Nyhus, 2022. "Financial self‐efficacy, financial literacy, and gender: A review," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(2), pages 743-765, June.
    15. Julie Birkenmaier & David Rothwell & Mary Agar, 2022. "How is Consumer Financial Capability Measured?," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 654-666, December.
    16. Laura Choi & Lauren Larin & Margaret Libby & Vernon Loke, 2016. "Boosting the power of youth paychecks: integrating financial capability into youth employment programs," Community Development Working Paper 2016-3, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
    17. Sinha, Gaurav & Tan, Kevin & Zhan, Min, 2018. "Patterns of financial attributes and behaviors of emerging adults in the United States," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 178-185.
    18. Moreno-Herrero, Dolores & Salas-Velasco, Manuel & Sánchez-Campillo, José, 2018. "Factors that influence the level of financial literacy among young people: The role of parental engagement and students' experiences with money matters," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 334-351.
    19. Ji Luo & Sayed Fayaz Ahmad & Asma Alyaemeni & Yuhan Ou & Muhammad Irshad & Randah Alyafi-Alzahri & Ghadeer Alsanie & Syeda Taj Unnisa, 2024. "Role of perceived ease of use, usefulness, and financial strength on the adoption of health information systems: the moderating role of hospital size," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    20. Angel, Stefan, 2018. "Smart tools? A randomized controlled trial on the impact of three different media tools on personal finance," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 104-111.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Geert Van Campenhout, 2015. "Revaluing the Role of Parents as Financial Socialization Agents in Youth Financial Literacy Programs," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(1), pages 186-222, March.
    2. Youngwon Nam & Cäzilia Loibl, 2021. "Financial Capability and Financial Planning at the Verge of Retirement Age," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 133-150, March.
    3. Margaret Miller & Julia Reichelstein & Christian Salas & Bilal Zia, 2015. "Can You Help Someone Become Financially Capable? A Meta-Analysis of the Literature," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 30(2), pages 220-246.
    4. Joana Elisa Maldonado & Kristof De Witte & Koen Declercq, 2022. "The effects of parental involvement in homework: two randomised controlled trials in financial education," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 62(3), pages 1439-1464, March.
    5. Berry, James & Karlan, Dean & Pradhan, Menno, 2018. "The Impact of Financial Education for Youth in Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 71-89.
    6. CIUMARA, Tudor, 2022. "Review Of Financial Literacy Education Programs In Romania," Journal of Financial and Monetary Economics, Centre of Financial and Monetary Research "Victor Slavescu", vol. 10(1), pages 114-119, October.
    7. Fuzhong Chen & Jingxin Lu & Jiaying Li & Wenting Wang & Horlane Bissielou, 2020. "Sustainable Financial Education and Consumer Life Satisfaction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-21, February.
    8. Sicong Sun & Yu-Chih Chen & David Ansong & Jin Huang & Margaret S. Sherraden, 2022. "Household Financial Capability and Economic Hardship: An Empirical Examination of the Financial Capability Framework," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 43(4), pages 716-729, December.
    9. Tim Kaiser & Lukas Menkhoff, 2017. "Does Financial Education Impact Financial Literacy and Financial Behavior, and If So, When?," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 31(3), pages 611-630.
    10. Beverly, Sondra G. & Kim, Youngmi & Sherraden, Michael & Nam, Yunju & Clancy, Margaret, 2015. "Can Child Development Accounts be inclusive? Early evidence from a statewide experiment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 92-104.
    11. Wiesław Dębski & Bartosz Świderski, 2016. "An Allocation Analysis of Polish Household Savings Invested in Financial Assets, 2003 – 2014," Contemporary Economics, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw., vol. 10(2), June.
    12. Oscar A. Stolper & Andreas Walter, 2017. "Financial literacy, financial advice, and financial behavior," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 87(5), pages 581-643, July.
    13. Panu Kalmi, 2018. "The Effects of Financial Education: Evidence from Finnish Lower Secondary Schools," Economic Notes, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, vol. 47(2-3), pages 353-386, July.
    14. Ashley B. LeBaron & Heather H. Kelley, 2021. "Financial Socialization: A Decade in Review," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 195-206, July.
    15. Manturuk, Kim & Dorrance, Jessica & Riley, Sarah, 2012. "Factors affecting completion of a matched savings program: Impacts of time preference, discount rate, and financial hardship," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 836-842.
    16. Manuel Salas‐Velasco & Dolores Moreno‐Herrero & José Sánchez‐Campillo, 2021. "Teaching financial education in schools and students' financial literacy: A cross‐country analysis with PISA data," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(3), pages 4077-4103, July.
    17. Shamima Nasrin & Angathevar Baskaran & Rajah Rasiah, 2017. "Microfinance and savings among the poor: evidence from Bangladesh microfinance sector," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 1435-1448, July.
    18. Paraboni, Ana Luiza & da Costa, Newton, 2021. "Improving the level of financial literacy and the influence of the cognitive ability in this process," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    19. Sun, Sicong & Nabunya, Proscovia & Byansi, William & Sensoy Bahar, Ozge & Damulira, Christopher & Neilands, Torsten B. & Guo, Shenyang & Namuwonge, Flavia & Ssewamala, Fred M., 2020. "Access and utilization of financial services among poor HIV-impacted children and families in Uganda," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    20. Amagir, Aisa & Groot, Wim & van den Brink, Henriëtte Maassen & Wilschut, Arie, 2020. "Financial literacy of high school students in the Netherlands: knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behavior," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 34(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jconsa:v:49:y:2015:i:1:p:97-126. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0022-0078 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.