Working Papers

Papers on consumer economic well being and financial fitness, and the financial behaviors of credit counseling and debt management clients.

Which Metropolitan Areas Are the Most "Financially Fit?"

Investigation of 314 US metropolitan areas to see how they rank in terms of the general economic well being and financial fitness of their population to determine what attributes of a community best promote and explain economic security.

Profina Debt Solutions 18-Month Panel Study: Impact of Financial Distress on Work Life

A study designed to measure the impact of consumer debt in the workplace - how a pre-occupation with personal financial problems could lead to loss of employment due to employer reaction to lost productivity and workplace harmony.

Profina Debt Solutions 18-Month Panel Study: Changes in Financial Behavior and Incidence of Financial Stressors

A study in which clients joining a debt management program (DMP) were tracked to determine differences in the financial lot between those staying in the program, those who either dropped out after at least one payment, and those who never even made a payment.

Differences Between Credit Counseling Clients and Non-clients After One Year in DMP Program

Brief summary of benefits seen by active credit counseling clients after participating in a debt management program for a year.

The Financial Education Needs of Credit Counseling Clients

This study examines the expressed financial education needs of employed individuals who had an 18-month client relationship with a large credit counseling agency.

How Today's Active Profina DMP Clients Differ From the Non-Active When They All Committed

The purpose of this study was to examine the work life and personal finances of a sample of 3,000+ new debt management clients and track them over a one-year time period.

Profina Debt Solutions 18-Month Panel Study: Impact of Financial Distress on Health - A First Look

Investigates a possible relationship between reported health and a consumer’s debt burden.