Programs
Some of the research programs sponsored by the Institute are:
Education and Certification Program for Personal Finance Professionals
For the National Council on the Aging (NCOA), ISFS conducted feasibility and business planning for a program to train and certify financial advisors (securities brokers, financial planners, insurance representatives, accountants) in social gerontology. This work was supported by NCOA and partnering investment bankers and mutual fund companies.
American Dream Studies
American Dream Studies examines the socio-financial dimensions of theories and attainments of the American Dream. Research topics include individual and family experiences of upward and downward mobility, consumer financial literacy, health care finances, credit, homeownership, business ownership, and employment, as well as business loss, housing loss, unemployment, and bankruptcy.
Homeownership, Class and Politics: Perceptions of American Homeowners and Renters, completed in 1993, is a study of the social effects of U.S. homeownership.
Financial Literacy Education
Goodbye to Complacency: Financial Literacy Education in the U.S. 2000-2005 is an update to Personal Finance and the Rush to Competence. The update was commissioned and prepared for the AARP. The report was presented at the 2005 US-UK Dialogue on Pensions, July 19-21, 2005, Washington, DC, United States. The Executive Summary of this document may be seen here.
Personal Finance and the Rush to Competence: Financial
Literacy Education in the US
Under a research grant from the FannieMae Foundation, ISFS performed
a national field study to examine the Personal Finance Education Programs
of organizations working in the area of financial literacy education. The
Executive Summary of this document may be seen here.
Financial Literacy and the Psychology of Money: An
Exploratory Study
An exploratory study aimed to relate findings regarding the psychology
of money to the practical problems of financial literacy. This research
was conducted by Stefanie Sonnenberg, under an ISFS
Internship, and was submitted to the University of Exeter towards the
degree of Master of Science in Economic Psychology.
Finances of Aging
Encyclopedia
of Retirement and Finance. Edited by ISFS founder Lois A.
Vitt, this is the
only encyclopedia that focuses on all of the financial issues associated
with retirement and later life.
This comprehensive, up-to-date, two-volume work includes over 180 entries on
the most recent issues in financial planning and investing, retirement plans,
health coverage and care, housing, employment and
quality of life in retirement. Entries include finance and gerontology concepts,
terms, policies and programs, the needs and problems of older adults, and more.
Each article features references to research, bibliographies, sources for advice,
and guides to further information. The Encyclopedia
of Retirement and Finance was published by Greenwood Press in 2003.
Encyclopedia of Financial Gerontology. This major project investigated financial issues important to both young and old in the latter parts of the life cycle. Business and academic researchers and educators were brought together to produce reference studies that meet the increasing need for financial knowledge among the elderly and their families. The Encyclopedia of Financial Gerontology, compiled and edited under ISFS sponsorship, was published by Greenwood Press in April, 1996.
Pension Funds, their Beneficiaries, and the Internet. As human-resource relations rely increasingly on Internet-based information, the ways in which employees deal with pension or 401(k) fund administrators poses new challenges. This research project looks at new forms and substances of e-pension relations. ISFS examines in particular how employees can rely on other advice from a multitude of sources to better understand, plan for, and monitor their retirement benefits.
Environmental and Financial Performance Program
Since 1991, ISFS has sought to explore the human and social dimensions of finance and business. The state of the environment has obvious and enormous impacts on human and social issues and in turn the environment is impacted by business and financial concerns. Enlightened business approaches utilize increased efficiency, cost reduction, and competitive advantage to address, create and solve environmental problems. The Environmental and Financial Performance Program performs benchmark studies to find “Best Practices” that promote the environment and increase business performance simultaneously.