Our research

Learn what we’ve found about the habits and needs of Canadians related to personal finance, money management and investing.

2013 Home Equity as a Source of Retirement Income survey

Two out of 10 Canadian households (aged 50 and over) have no idea how much they have saved for retirement – and half of all respondents believe they will exhaust their retirement savings within the first 10 years after they leave the workforce.

2012 Omnibus poll: Canadians' obstacles to saving and investing

Canadians cite lack of income and too much debt as their top obstacles to managing and investing their money.

2012 Benchmarking Financial Knowledge survey

Financial literacy is slowly improving in Ontario, but not enough, reveals IEF’s 2012 benchmark survey of financial knowledge. Only 36 per cent of Ontarians achieve a passing grade on their ability to apply basic financial concepts, up from 29 per cent in 2010.

2012 Omnibus Poll: Canadian budgeting, saving and investing behaviour

When it comes to saving and investing, many Canadians have a laissez-faire attitude. Learn more about Canadian budgeting, saving and investing behaviour across age and income brackets.

2012 Youth Financial Literacy study

Seven in 10 high school students say knowledge of personal finances is a must and want financial education in the classroom.

Investor behaviour and beliefs: Advisor relationships and investor decision-making

Insight into the learning needs of Canadian investors who have an advisory relationship, including factors that influence investment decisions, how people work with advisors to make decisions and investor expectations of their advisors.

Investor knowledge: A study of financial literacy in Ontario

How much do people in Ontario know about money and investing? That was the big question Investor Education Fund tackled recently. In October 2010, IEF conducted a financial literacy survey of 1,000 people across the province. The survey included more than 20 questions about investing, borrowing and financial planning.

Advisors top source of information for older Canadians, but Internet an important source too.

Instructive examples, check lists and financial calculators are what Canadians over 34 years of age look for when searching the web for financial information.

Younger and skeptical social media users are more likely to search multiple sources for information, while their parents seek “expert” advice from advisors.

This comparison of findings of the Investor Education study into how Canadians of different ages (20 to 34 and 34 and older) “includes a number of wake-up calls regarding the financial information that people want and how they want to get it,” says Investor Education Fund president Tom Hamza.

Canadians aged 20-34 motivated by key life events, but face time, money and information barriers to financial literacy.

This study from the Investor Education Fund sheds additional light on the most influential life events that drive financial decisions, barriers to making informed decisions, top money questions, and the tools people look for in this age group.

High school students with ready cash lack skills to keep it.

According to a new study from the Investor Education Fund, a significant portion of Ontario high school students aged 14-18 don't have the financial know how to make informed choices.

Ontarians not planning for their financial future.

According to a study from the Investor Education Fund, a significant portion of Ontarians don't have a road map for their financial future. The study shows that nearly one half (46%) of Ontario adults have never had a financial plan to save for retirement. In addition, 58% of parents don't have a plan to save for their children's education.