1. How often do you put money aside as savings?
c
c On a regular basis
c
c Every once in a while
c c Rarely
c
c Never Skip the remaining questions.
The survey is complete.
2. Which of the following statements best describes the way in which you decide how much money to put aside as savings?
c
c I have a set amount that I always put aside.
c
c I put aside what is left over after expenses.
c
c I determine how much I put aside in another way.
Please describe:
__________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________
3. Below is a list of places where people sometimes put money that they set aside as savings. Please indicate whether or not you have set aside money for savings in these places during the past 12 months by answering “yes” or “no” for each one.
Places Saved in Past 12 Months Yes No
a. Someplace at home
b. Savings account
c. Checking account
d. With another individual
e. Someplace else Specify:
4. Of the places above for which you answered ‘yes,” which one did you use most often to set aside money as savings? Please indicate that place by entering the letter that appears in front of it on the above list: __________
Sometimes people receive money from others to set aside as sav- ings. We would like to know if that is the case for you.
5. Does anyone else contribute money to your savings?
c
c Yes Go to question 5a
c
c No Skip the remaining question.
The survey is complete.
5a. Below is a list of people and places that sometimes set aside money as savings for others. Please indicate which of these sources contributes money to your savings by answering “yes” or “no” for each one.
Yes No
Parent
Grandparent
Sibling
Other relatives
Adult who is not a relative
Community organization
Faith community
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey. We are interested in the methods you use to pay for your household and personal expenses.
spending behavior — payMenT MeThods
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In telling us about how you pay for your expenses, please use the following definitions.
Household expenses: Any contributions you make to paying things like rent, utilities, and food at the place where you live. Personal expenses: Spending money on such things as clothing, hair care, cell phone, transportation, and entertainment. 1. Do you currently pay for any household expenses by contributing to things like rent, utilities, or food at the place where you live?
c
c Yes Go to question 2.
c
c No Go to question 4.
2. Below is a list of ways in which people sometimes pay for household expenses. Please indicate whether or not you have used these methods to pay for household expenses during the past 3 months by answering “yes” or “no” for each one.
Payment Methods Used in the Past 3 Months Yes No
a. Cash
b. Debit card (For a direct purchase, not to obtain cash)
c. Credit card
d. Personal check
e. Money order
f. Electronic, online, or automatic transfer of funds
g. Some other way Please describe: ______________________
3. Of the payment methods for which you answered “yes,” which one did you use most often to pay for household expenses? Please indicate that method by entering the letter that appears in front of the method on the above list: ______
4. Do you currently pay for any personal expenses, such as clothing, hair care, cell phone, transportation, or entertainment?
c
c Yes Go to question 5.
c
c No Skip the remaining questions. The survey is complete.
5. Below is a list of ways in which people sometimes pay for personal expenses. Please indicate whether or not you have used these methods to pay for personal expenses during the past 3 months by answering “yes” or “no” for each one.
Payment Methods Used in the Past 3 Months Yes No
a. Cash
b. Debit card (For a direct purchase, not to obtain cash)
c. Credit card
d. Personal check
e. Money order
f. Electronic, online, or automatic transfer of funds
g. Some other way Please describe: ______________________
6. Of the payment methods for which you answered “yes,” which one did you use most often to pay for personal expenses? Please indicate that method by entering the letter that appears in front of the method on the above list: _________
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey. We are interested in how you shop for things you want or need as well as your experiences in lending money to others.
spending behavior — shopping and lending
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1. Below is a list of some things people do when they are looking to purchase something. Please indicate how often you do each of them.
Often Some-times Rarely Never
I comparison shop when I make purchases
I make an effort to buy things on sale if I don’t need them right away
I use coupons when I make purchases
I use an affinity card to get discounts or specials when I purchase things at places
like grocery or drug stores
I shop at a thrift store or second-hand shop
I buy something I want, but really don’t need, without giving it a lot of thought
Now, please tell us if you have recently loaned money to other individuals.
2. Below is a list of individuals to whom people sometimes loan money. Please indicate whether or not you have loaned $10 or more to any of them during the past 12 months by answering “yes” or “no” for each one.
Yes No
Someone who lives in the same place that you do
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey. We are interested in what you do, if anything, to keep track of your income and your spending.
spending behavior — TraCking and planning
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1. Which of the following statements best describes how you keep track of your income?
c
c I keep a written record of my income as it comes in.
c
c I have a general idea of my income, but do not keep a written record as it comes in.
c
c I do not keep track of my income.
2. Which of the following statements best describes how you keep track of your spending?
c
c I keep a written record of my spending as it occurs.
c
c I have a general idea of my spending, but do not keep a written record as it occurs.
c
c I do not keep track of my spending.
3. Regardless of whether or not you are always able to follow it, do you have some kind of written budget or spending plan?
c
c Yes Go to question 3a.
c
c No Skip the remaining questions. The survey is complete. 3a. Please describe that budget or spending plan.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________
3b. How often do you make changes to that budget or spending plan, and why?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________
3c. Please describe how you use that budget or spending plan to guide your expenses for the coming month.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Managing debT — renT, uTiliTies, and food
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Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey. We are interested in your current living situation.1. Following is a list of places where people sometimes live. With whom do you currently live? Choose only one.
c
c With my boyfriend, girlfriend, or partner
c
c With a roommate(s) or housemate(s)
c
c With my birth mother and/or father
c
c With other relative(s)
c
c With my adoptive parent(s)
c
c With my foster parent(s) who are not related to me
c
c With a friend’s family (not foster care)
c
c In a group home or residential facility
c
c In a shelter or emergency housing
c
c Someplace else Please describe: _______________ 2. Which of the following best describes how you currently pay
for where you live?
c
c I contribute a fixed amount for rent, utilities, and/or food each month to someone else living in the same place.
Go to question 2a. c
c I sometimes contribute money for rent, utilities, and/or food to someone else living in the same place, but I do not pay a fixed amount each month. Go to question 5.
c
c I do not contribute to paying the rent, utilities, and/ or food. Skip the remaining questions. The survey is
complete.
2a. During the past 12 months, how often did you make your contribution to the rent, utilities, and/or food on time and in full? c c Always Go to question 6. c c Usually Go to question 3. c c Sometimes Go to question 3. c c Rarely Go to question 3. c c Never Go to question 3.
3. Which of the following statements best describes those times when you did not make your contribution to the rent, utilities, and/or food on time and in full?
c
c I made only part of my contribution on time.
c
c I made my contribution in full, but late.
c
c I made only part of my contribution, and it was late.
c
c I did not make my contribution at all.
4. Did you talk to the person you are living with about paying your contribution late?
c
c Yes Go to question 6.
c
c No Go to question 6.
5. During the past 12 months, how many times did you make a contribution to the rent, utilities, and/or food? ________ 6. What method do you most often use to make your
contribution to the rent, utilities, and/or food?
c c Cash c c Personal check c c Money order c
c Some other way Please describe: __________________________
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey. We are interested in your experience with education loans or loans to pur- chase a vehicle.
Managing debT — vehiCle and sTudenT loans
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First, we’d like to know about any vehicles you may own. 1. Do you currently own a car, truck or other vehicle?
c
c Yes Go to question 1a.
c
c No Go to question 2.
1a. Do you currently have a loan on that vehicle?
c
c Yes Go to question 1b.
c
c No Go to question 2.
1b. During the past 12 months, how often did you make your vehicle loan payment(s) on time and in full?
c c Always Go to question 2. c c Usually Go to question 1c. c c Sometimes Go to question 1c. c c Rarely Go to question 1c. c c Never Go to question 1c.
1c. Which of the following best describes those times when you did not make your vehicle loan payment on time and in full?
c
c I made only part of the payment on time.
c
c I made the payment in full, but late.
c
c I made only part of the payment, and it was late.
c
c I did not make the payment at all.
1d. Did you contact the loan servicer to talk about the late payments?
c c Yes
c c No
Next, I’d like to turn to student or educational loans. 2. Do you currently have a student or educational loan with a
bank, credit union, or other financial institution?
c
c Yes Go to question 2a.
c
c No Skip the remaining questions.
The survey is complete.
2a. Are payments on that student or educational loan currently due, or is the loan deferred, that is, repayment is not yet required?
c
c Payments are due Go to question 2b.
c
c Loan is deferred Skip the remaining questions.
The survey is complete.
2b. During the past 12 months, how often did you make your student or educational loan payment on time and in full?
c
c Always Skip the remaining questions. The survey
is complete. c c Usually Go to question 2c. c c Sometimes Go to question 2c. c c Rarely Go to question 2c. c c Never Go to question 2c.
2c. Which of the following statements best describes those times when you did not make your student or educational loan payment on time and in full?
c
c I made only part of the payment on time.
c
c I made the payment in full, but late.
c
c I made only part of the payment, and it was late.
c
c I did not make the payment at all.
2d. Did you contact the loan servicer to talk about the late payments?
c c Yes
c c No
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey. We’re interested in loans you may have with banks, credit unions, or other financial institutions loans that are not a vehicle loan or student loan. This does not include credit or debit cards, only loans.
Managing debT — oTher loans
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1. Other than a vehicle loan or a student or educational loan, do you currently have any other outstanding loans from a bank, credit union, or other financial institution?
c
c Yes Go to question 1a.
c
c No Skip the remaining questions. The survey is complete.
1a. How many of these other types of loans do you currently have? ________
1b. Below is a list of reasons why people sometimes borrow money from a bank, credit union, or some other financial institution. Thinking about the loans that you have, please indicate whether or not you used the money you borrowed for these reasons by answering “yes” or “no” for each one.
Yes No
Basic living expenses, such as clothing or transportation
Outstanding bills
Something else Specify: _____________________________
1c. During the past 12 months, how often did you make your payments on these loans on time and in full?
c
c Always Skip the remaining questions. The survey is complete.
c c Usually Go to question 2 c c Sometimes Go to question 2. c c Rarely Go to question 2. c c Never Go to question 2.
2. Which of the following statements best describes those times when you did not make your loan payment on time and in full?
c
c I made only part of the payment on time.
c
c I made the payment in full, but late.
c
c I made only part of the payment, and it was late.
c
c I did not make the payment at all.
3. Did you contact the loan servicer to talk about the late payments?
c c Yes
c c No
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey. We would like to know a little about your use of credit cards. When people use these types of cards, they are obtaining credit from a bank, credit union, retail store, or other company to cover the amount of a purchase. Then they pay that money back at a later date. Please note that this does not include debit cards, just credit cards.
building and Managing CrediT — CrediT Cards
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1. Do you currently have any credit cards in your name?
c
c Yes Go to question 2.
c
c No Go to question 1a.
1a. Do you think you would like to have a credit card sometime in the future?
c
c Yes Skip the remaining questions. The survey is complete.
c
c No Skip the remaining questions. The survey is complete. 2. How many credit cards do you currently have? _________
2a. Do you have that credit card on your own or did someone else guarantee the card for you?
c
c On my own
c
c Someone else guaranteed the card
3. Below is a list of ways in which people sometimes use credit cards. Please indicate how often during the past 30 days you did each of these.
Use of Credit Card past 30 days# times in
Make a purchase with a credit card for basic living expenses, such as food, clothing, or transportation Make a purchase with a credit card for other products or services
Use a credit card check
Use a credit card to make an ATM withdrawal
4. What method do you most often use to pay your credit card bills?
c
c Personal check
c
c Money order
c
c Electronic, online, or automatic transfer of funds
c
c Some other way Specify: __________________________
5. Which of the following statements best describes the monthly payments you typically make when you receive your credit card bill(s)?
c
c Less than the minimum amount that appears on the bill
c
c The minimum amount that appears on the bill
c
c More than the minimum amount, but less than the full balance
c
building and Managing CrediT — CrediT Cards
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6. Below is a list of experiences people sometimes have when they use credit cards. Please indicate whether or not you have done each of these during the past 12 months by answering “yes” or “no” for each one.
Experiences Using a Credit Card Yes No
Pay a late fee on a credit card
Reach your limit on a credit card
Receive a phone call or letter about an overdue credit card bill
7. Below is a list of reasons that people sometimes have for using a credit card when they make purchases or pay bills. Please indicate whether or not these are reasons for you by answering “yes” or “no” for each one.
Reasons for Using a Credit Card Yes No
a. It is more convenient to use a credit card than it is to use another method of payment.
b. I can use a credit card when I don’t have the money to pay for things.
c. It is safer to use a credit card than it is to use another method of payment.
d. Using a credit card and paying off those bills allows me to improve my credit rating.
e. I am confident in my financial future, so I am fine with taking out credit to pay for things.
f. Something else Specify: _________________________________
8. Of the reasons above for which you answered “yes,” which one is the major reason that you use a credit card? Please indicate that reason by entering the letter that appears in front of it on the above list: ______
9. People sometimes look for ways in which they can obtain better terms on the credit cards they have, like a lower interest rate or reduced fees. This is not getting a new credit card, but rather changing the terms on an existing credit card. Please tell me if you have tried any of the following to get better terms on your credit cards. Have you ever … ?
Method to Obtain Better Terms Yes No
Contacted a bank, credit union, retail store, or other company directly to negotiate better terms
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this survey. We would like to know a little about your use of debit cards. When people use these types of cards, the purchase amount is automatically deducted from the existing funds in their bank or credit union accounts. These debit cards are not credit cards.
building and Managing CrediT — debiT Cards
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1. Do you currently have any debit cards in your name?
c
c Yes Go to question 2.
c
c No Go to question 1a.
1a. Do you think you would like to have a debit card sometime in the future?
c
c Yes Skip the remaining questions.
The survey is complete. c
c No Skip the remaining questions.
The survey is complete.
2. How many debit cards do you currently have? __________ 2a. Do you have that debit card on your own or did
someone else guarantee the card for you?
c
c On my own
c
c Someone else guaranteed the card
3. Below is a list of ways in which people sometimes use debit cards. Please indicate how often during the past 30 days you did each of these.
Use of Debit Card
# times in past 30
days
Make a purchase with a debit card for basic living expenses, such as food, clothing, or transportation Make a purchase with a debit card for other products or services
Use a debit card to make an ATM withdrawal
4. Below is a list of reasons that people sometimes have for using a debit card when they make purchases or pay bills. Please indicate whether or not these are reasons for you by answering “yes” or “no” for each one.
Reasons for Using a Debit Card Yes No
a.
It is more convenient to use a debit card than it is to use another method of payment.
b.
It is safer to use a debit card than it is to use another method of payment.
c.
Using a debit card allows me to know if I have the money to cover a purchase.