Consumer Finance
Our Consumer Finance Institute researches how people earn, spend, save, and invest, as well as how credit markets and payment systems affect the economy. Our goal is to foster a healthy consumer sector, a stable financial system, and a resilient regional and national economy.
Brief
Do Price Changes Affect Crypto Ownership?
Since January 2022, the Consumer Finance Institute (CFI) has collected information about cryptocurrency ownership from six different surveys; all six asked about current ownership of cryptocurrency, while three also asked about likelihood to purchase crypto in the future.
Labor, Income, Finances, and Expectations (LIFE) Survey
26 Aug ’24
The Labor, Income, Finances, and Expectations (LIFE) Survey collects data on topics related to the Consumer Finance Institute’s mission to better understand how people earn, spend, save, and invest, as well as how credit markets and payment systems affect the economy.
Event
Oct
24-25
2024
Workshop on Changing Demographics and Housing Demand
Fannie Mae Midtown Center, 1100 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 (Hybrid)
Working Paper
How Much Does College Cost and How Does It Relate to Student Borrowing? Tuition Growth and Borrowing over the Past 30 Years
WP 24-16 – The rising cost of college and graduate school is often cited as a cause of rising student loan borrowing. This paper analyzes long-term trends in tuition and student financing using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study.
Report
LIFE Survey Report – July 2024
This report is part of a quarterly series on key observations from the Labor, Income, Finances, and Expectations (LIFE) Survey. Data from the survey provide insight into consumers’ recent financial lives and their future expectations.
Article
Q&A: Dubravka Ritter on Exploring Postsecondary Education Finance
In the Consumer Finance Institute, Dubravka Ritter studies how students and governments pay for postsecondary education and how this sector affects the U.S. economy. In this Q&A, Dubravka shares some of her key findings and future research interests.
Article
CFI in Focus: Return to Student Loan Repayment and Adjusting to Change
CFI in Focus – After three and a half years of paused payments on federal student loans, payments restarted in October 2023. Many borrowers experienced significant adjustments to their required debt payments, not only because of the payments resumption but also because of changes to repayment plans and the strained servicing environment.