Boulder Summer Conference on Consumer Financial Decision Making
2025 Boulder Summer Conference | May, 2025
At the St. Julien Hotel
The Boulder Summer Conference in Consumer Financial Decision Making is the premier international forum for interdisciplinary research on how consumers make financial decisions. This unique conference brings together top scholars from diverse fields such as economics, psychology, sociology, behavioral finance, consumer research, decision sciences, behavioral economics, and law, along with regulators, financial services professionals, and consumer advocates.
Originally started by John Lynch and Donnie Lichtenstein, the conference's primary goal is to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue and advance both basic and applied research in the rapidly evolving field of consumer financial decision-making.
Conference Details
Consumer financial decisions, ranging from choosing mortgages and saving for college or retirement to using credit cards, managing debt, paying for healthcare and insurance, and investing in the stock market, have a profound impact on consumer welfare. By examining how consumers actually make these decisions, researchers can provide valuable insights that inform public policy, business practices, and consumer education initiatives, ultimately helping consumers make better financial choices.
The Boulder Summer Conference showcases cutting-edge research through a mix of plenary sessions, poster presentations, and ample opportunities for informal interaction among attendees. Plenary sessions feature two papers from different disciplines, each addressing a common theme, with discussion led by an industry expert, government representative, or scholar from a third field. The conference program covers a wide range of topics, from the financial decision-making of consumers under stress to the fundamental processes that guide everyday financial choices.
To be considered for presentation at the conference, authors must submit an extended abstract. The conference program committee selects papers based on quality, relevance to consumer financial decision-making, and contribution to the breadth of topics and disciplinary approaches. The committee also considers how well papers pair with submissions from scholars in different fields. Authors of the best papers not selected for plenary sessions are invited to present their work at the Sunday evening poster session.
Past conference programs below highlight the impressive scope and depth of research presented at the Boulder Summer Conference. By bringing together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in an intimate and collaborative setting, the conference continues to drive innovation and shape the future of consumer financial decision-making research.
Conference Registration and Abstract Submissions
(please register for the conference first)
Conference Format
We begin with a keynote session in the late afternoon on May 28 followed by reception and poster session. May 29 and 30 we have a selection of 75-minute plenary sessions with two related papers from different disciplines, with discussion by an industry or government expert or a scholar from a third field. We begin with financial decision making of consumers in distress because of poor financial decision making or situational stress. We then turn our focus to more basic processes that guide everyday consumer financial decision-making, both good and bad. Throughout the conference we schedule significant time for informal interaction outside of the sessions.
The conference program committee will select papers for presentation at the conference based on extended abstracts. Selected papers must not be published prior to the conference. Authors submitting an abstract must commit to have a paper that is complete and available for review by discussants one month prior to the conference. Selections will be based on quality, relevance to consumers' financial decision-making, and contribution to breadth of topics and disciplinary approaches. We consider not just the individual merits of the papers, but how they pair with another submission from a scholar in a different field. The organizers will invite authors of the best papers not selected for presentation at a plenary session to present their work at the Sunday evening poster session.
The conference is co-sponsored by the Center for Research on Consumer Financial Decision Making at the University of Colorado and by the Leeds School of Business.
More details to come for conference social events and hiking opportunities!