U.S. Financial Diaries

The Financial Diaries methodology has been used by researchers in other countries and by institutions wishing to better understand their clients. Some examples include the US Financial Diaries, among others.

The U.S. Financial Diaries (USFD) is a research study collecting detailed financial data from 235 low- and moderate-income households over the course of a year. The project was jointly created by Jonathan Morduch of the Financial Access Initiative at NYU Wagner, Rachel Schneider of The Center for Financial Services Innovation, and Daryl Collins of Bankable Frontier Associates (BFA). USFD employs a research approach that combines the methods of quantitative and qualitative research. By observing household finances over long periods of time and at frequent intervals, we have collected detailed financial data from participating families, covering such territory as assets and debts, cash flows in and out of the households, financial instruments, employment, financial goals, and attitudes about money. Learn more about US Financial Diaries.