Fintech and Financial Fitness (FinFitness)

Abstract:

The modern financial realm has enabled individuals to request and receive information regarding their finances on-demand. However, little is known about how easier access to information influences financial decision making. The economic literature suggests competing hypotheses as to how better technology affects peoples’ outcomes and empirical evidence remains scarce. I propose two projects that aim to fill this gap by utilizing the digitization of budgeting processes with financial aggregation apps. The attendance tracking of online behavior allow direct measurement of technology adoption and individual attention in ways that previously were not possible. The first project seeks to answer how technology changes influence financial decision making. The second one investigates individuals’ attention to their personal finances.