Financial Irrationality During COVID-19 Crisis

Despite the best intentions, consumers do not always act rationally with regards to money management. While we all know that we should limit debt and increase savings, many people live day-to-day, and have far less set aside for financial emergencies than needed.   Unfortunately, most people’s irrational behavior around money became exposed with the impact of COVID-19. Across the globe, households lost their safety net of predictable events that they depended on, from a regular paycheck to savings that they had planned to set aside.   Today’s guest on the podcast is Dan Ariely, the foremost researcher of behavioral economics in the world. A prolific best-selling author, fintech advisor and professor at Duke University, Ariely discusses why humans don’t always act rationally about money and the result of these irrational behaviors. He also shares thoughts on how consumers and financial institutions can recover from the challenges brought on by COVID-19.