Wallet Wired
What behavioral research has observed about how people spend, save, and value money. No advice — only what the evidence shows.
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Does Helping Adult Children Hurt Parents’ Finances?
Most US parents help adult children with money, and more than a third of them say it hurt their own finances. What the surveys show, and what they don’t.
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Why Does Every Card Reader Ask for a Tip Now?
Tip screens change what people pay, even people who type their own amount. What taxi and Uber data show, and what nobody…
Why Can’t I Spend Money Even When I Can Afford It?
For some people, paying itself hurts. What a study of 13,327 people found about income, frugality, timing and where the feeling comes…
How Much Money Is Enough to Be Happy? What the Research Actually Shows
The line for “enough” rises as you earn more, but slower than you do. What Gallup, a Swiss economist and a millionaire…
Why Do People Avoid Checking Their Bank Account? What the Data Shows
Login records show people look at their money less when the news is likely bad. What the ostrich effect is, and what…
Does Financial Stress Lower Your IQ? What the Research Found
A 2013 study linked money worry to a drop “equivalent to 13 IQ points”. What was measured, what the number means, and…
Which money script do you recognise?
Psychologists have described four common beliefs about money that people pick up early in life. See which ones you lean towards.
- Money avoidance. Money is bad, or not for people like me.
- Money worship. More money would fix most problems.
- Money status. What you earn says who you are.
- Money vigilance. Save it, watch it, keep it private.