Educação financeira: análise sobre as decisões de consumo e investimento dos profissionais contábeis paraibanos

Abstract

Financial education is an essential tool to empower individuals to make better decisions regarding their resources and to avoid financial problems. Therefore, the objective of the research is to investigate how financial education affects the consumption and investment decisions of accounting professionals. To this end, a research was conducted classified in terms of its objectives as descriptive, and in terms of approach as quantitative. A questionnaire was administered to accounting professionals in the state of Paraíba, resulting in a convenience sample of 105 professionals, which corresponds to 2.14% of the population. Data analysis was performed using Excel software. The results indicated that professionals have savings and financial planning habits. Regarding consumption decisions, they tend to plan purchases and seek price and product quality; however, the majority are in debt and demonstrate a tendency towards impulsive buying. As for investments, a preference for fixed income was observed, and professionals prioritize security and liquidity when deciding where to allocate their financial resources. In terms of financial knowledge, it was observed that professionals have a moderate level of knowledge. Professionals who have been graduated for more than five years, those with over five years of experience in the accounting field, males, and those who graduated from public institutions demonstrated a high level of financial knowledge. Additionally, the majority of professionals consider financial education as very important for people's well-being and are satisfied with their level of knowledge in this area. This study aims to encourage government actions aimed at improving financial education in society, such as introducing financial education in all undergraduate courses. Moreover, it intends to stimulate reflections, discussions, and new research on the topic.