Research

Stäheli Thomas, Zobl Matthias, Hobein Günter A. (Hrsg.)

Financial Literacy in der Schweiz (2008)

Institut Banking & Finance IBF, Researchpaper / Projektbericht, ZHAW Projektarbeit 2006


Abstract in english

In 2005, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD published a study on financial education at an international level, entitled “Improving Financial Literacy: Analysis of Issues and Policies“. It revealed that a large proportion of the population has very limited knowledge of financial issues and that the general level of knowledge is grossly overestimated. In addition, it became clear that people find it difficult to find and to grasp pertinent financial information. Similar results supporting these findings were yielded by two other studies conducted in Germany.
Switzerland was excluded from these studies, which is why Investor’s Dialogue, a financial consulting firm, commissioned a new study, conducted as a semester assignment at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, to establish whether, and to what extent, such problems exist in Switzerland. Financial education is gaining in importance. Increasingly, different areas of the world of finance require us to place more emphasis on taking care of our own financial affairs. This is a topic of some significance, in particular in the context of developments in the field of retirement planning. This shift towards assuming more personal responsibility in money matters can however only be successful where there is enough fundamental knowledge in financial matters.

Link: http://www.zhaw.ch/de/zhaw/hochschul-online-publikationen.html