ISSUED: 29 March 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s Faculty Research Forum will present Dr. Janine Scott, assistant professor of business administration, with a lecture titled “Financial Capability: Literacy, Behavior, and Distress” on Friday, April 12, at 11 a.m. at the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education auditorium. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Scott will discuss the influence of individual financial knowledge and financial behavior on the probability of experiencing financial distress. Using the 2015 National Financial Capability Study, she will examine three measures of financial distress related to bill payment, retirement saving, and being late with a mortgage payment. Financial literacy and financial behavior indices are constructed using questions from the survey that pertain to financial knowledge ranging in complexity and financial decision making. In addition to the influence of socioeconomic factors, the conclusion suggests that financial literacy and positive behavior reduces financial distress stemming from simple financial matters. However, the opposite is observed for more complex financial decisions.
Scott enjoys teaching financial planning courses as well as engaging in research on financial education and financial capability. Since fall 2018, Scott has been training and equipping students in Shepherd’s Financial Planning Club to deliver basic financial planning presentations to students on campus and in high school. Additionally, Scott currently serves as president-elect for the Academy of Financial Services, an organization that encourages research in the area of personal financial planning and financial services, the development of university curricula in the financial services field, and interaction between financial services professionals and academicians.
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