Glossary
of Financial Health Terms
A
Adult Learning
Asset
Asset Building Continuum
Asset Building Education
Behavioral Consumerism
Behavioral Economics
c
Chronic Financial Stress
Cliff Effect
E
economic Mobility
Economic Security
Economic Stability
Economic Trauma
Economics
F
Finance
Financial Education
Financial Health
Financial Literacy
Financial Stress
I
Integrated Learning
M
Motivational Interviewing
N
Neoclassical Economics
P
Person-Centered Financial Education (PCFE)
Personal Economics
Personal Finances
S
Solution-Focused Practices
Stress
Strength-Based Practices
T
Tangible Assets
Trauma
Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-Informed Practices
Adult Learning Theory, also known as andragogy, is the study of how adults learn and how it differs from children.
Something of value to an individual or organization.
A model developed as a visual aid to illustrate the process of asset development as a means to stabilize a person’s financial and economic situation.
Programs and initiatives emphasizing the progressive development of assets—both tangible (savings and property) and intangible (education and social networks)—to enhance financial stability and opportunities for individuals and families.
The study and application of psychological principles and behavioral economics to understand how they influence individual consumer behaviors.
This approach focuses on uncovering the dynamics behind personal consumption patterns, the pervasive impact of marketing, social influences, and the psychological drivers of financial decision-making. By cultivating this understanding, individuals are better equipped to align their financial behaviors with their overarching values and long-term goals.
A method of economic analysis that applies psychological insights into human behavior to explain economic decision-making.
Ongoing, frequently intermittent financial stress. Chronic financial stress is the most typical intersection of financial and physical health.
A term used to describe how a modest increase in income that pushes an individual or family past a predetermined threshold can lead to the loss of significant financial and economic benefits.
The ability for an individual, household or group to move up or down the economic ladder within a lifetime or from one generation to the next.
The feeling that you have enough resources to meet your basic needs without the fear of running out.
Having reliable access to resources to meet a person’s basic needs, such as food, shelter, and clothing over a period of time.
When financial stress and/or economic shocks impact a person’s feelings of safety, their ability to remain calm, manage healthy relationships with others, and maintain the belief that their situation can improve, this can lead to an impaired ability to function in daily life.
A social science that studies how individuals or organizations make choices on allocating scarce resources to satisfy their wants.
The management of all money/monetary resources available to a person.
Instruction focused on improving individuals’ understanding of financial concepts, tools, and strategies to make sound financial decisions.
The dynamic relationship of one’s financial and economic resources as they are applied to, or impact the state of, physical, mental, and social well-being.
The ability to understand and effectively use financial skills, including personal financial management, budgeting, and investing. True literacy goes beyond knowledge, requiring practical application.
The strain caused by financial insecurity or the inability to meet financial obligations. It can lead to emotional, physical, and cognitive challenges, undermining overall well-being.
An approach that connects multiple disciplines and learning styles to create a cohesive educational experience.
A method that works on facilitating and engaging intrinsic motivation within the client in order to change behavior.
A broad theory that focuses on supply and demand as the driving forces behind the production, pricing, and consumption of goods and services.
An educational concept and approach that sees the participant as a whole person, with unique challenges, motivations, needs, and interests. It is informed by the latest research in learning strategies, behavioral economics, psychology, and neuroscience, positioning the learner as an active collaborator and expert on themselves.
Production and consumption of all resources coming in and out of your life.
Money/monetary resources coming in and out of your life.
Solution-focused practices developed from a short-term, goal-focused therapeutic approach which incorporates positive psychology principles and practices, and which helps clients change by constructing solutions rather than focusing on problems.
Solution-focused practices emphasize setting personally relevant goals and developing actionable steps to achieve those goals.
The non-specific response of the body to any demand for change.
A philosophy emphasizing individuals’ inherent strengths and capacities. It fosters empowerment by building on these attributes, rather than focusing solely on deficits or challenges.
Things like houses, cars, stocks, and jewelry that you can physically grab and easily assign a monetary value.
A lasting emotional response that may result from living through a very stressful or distressing event. Experiencing a traumatic event can harm a person’s sense of safety, sense of self, and ability to regulate emotions and navigate relationships.
An organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma.
Practices that recognize the impact of trauma on individuals’ behavior and decisions, ensuring that education and support are provided in a sensitive and non-triggering manner.