Purpose: The aim of the study is to build and validate a perceived financial well-being scale (PFWBS). Design/methodology/approach: A total of 34 items were developed on a five-point Likert scale. Validation involved two phases and four steps. In the qualitative phase, interviews, validation by specialists and the pre-test were carried out. In the quantitative phase, a sample of 1,020 cases was used in the exploratory stage and another sample of 2,293 individuals in the confirmatory validation stage. Findings: The PFWBS is composed of 23 items distributed in four dimensions (financial security, financial tranquility, financial freedom and satisfaction with financial management) that identify the perception of financial well-being of the consumers of financial products. Practical implications: The authors propose a methodological framework that allows researchers, managers and policy makers to use the indicator to assess citizens' perception of financial well-being. Social implications: The PFWBS can be useful in evaluating the results of different public policies, such as income transfer programs and financial education policies. It can also serve as a parameter for the financial system to assess the perception of its customers, helping to evaluate products and services. Originality/value: Financial well-being lacks valid measurement scales in the literature. This study advances by creating a scale for the assessment of the perception of financial well-being, which can be applied in different contexts.

This study aimed to verify the impact of financial preparation for retirement and risky indebtedness behavior on perceived financial well-being. A survey was carried out with 2290 individuals from diverse sociodemographic and economic profiles who resided in Brazil. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used as data analysis techniques. The results obtained indicate that risky indebtedness behavior negatively impacts financial preparation for retirement and perceived financial well-being and that there is a positive impact of financial preparation for retirement on perceived financial well-being. These findings highlight the importance of financial planning and savings behavior so that future expectations are achieved, and individuals may enjoy life with financial well-being. Thus, it is essential that public policies that promote new behaviors and healthy financial habits to the population, in addition to incentives for financial preparation for retirement, are built. Brazil needs to review the new credit concessions so that the individual does not acquire the behavior of using a financial resource that they do not have and that compromise financial well-being in the short and long term, negatively affecting retirement.

Financial digitization is an irreversible phenomenon. The objective of this study is to construct the Digital Financial Capability Scale (DFCS). Starting with the development of a definition, we created a multidimensional scale composed of digital financial knowledge, digital financial behavior, and digital financial confidence. The validation process involved a qualitative stage, consisting of focus groups, expert validation, and pre-testing, and a quantitative stage, with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling. The DFCS assesses an individual’s perception of their ability to apply financial knowledge, adopt appropriate financial behaviors, and feel confident in making financial decisions in a digital environment. The final version of the DFCS consists of a set of 33 items divided into the three dimensions. The scale can be very useful for researchers who wish to study financial capability in the digital environment, for financial agents to evaluate clients, and for assessing the outcomes of public policies aimed at enhancing the financial capability of the population.

This article aims to assess the perception of financial preparation for retirement in the non-retired Brazilian population. Also, it seeks to identify how socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioral variables influence financial preparation for retirement. This study advances by using a multidimensional measure of financial preparation for retirement in a comprehensive sample of Brazilians, bringing significant contributions to the implementation of new public policies for the most vulnerable groups. Identifying the level of financial preparation for retirement and the most vulnerable groups is key for a better understanding of the impact of social security and retirement on the lives of Brazilian citizens. In the Brazilian context, the Financial Preparation for Retirement Scale (FPRS) makes it possible to assess the public policies designed and it serves as a parameter for them to be reformulated, with a view to improving financial preparation for retirement in the most vulnerable groups. This is a survey, with 2,920 respondents from all Brazilian regions. The analysis techniques consisted in descriptive statistics, association test, and multiple regression analysis. Most Brazilians show low or very low financial preparation for retirement. It has been identified that 3 out of 4 Brazilians stop to think about how much they would need to save for their retirement. Despite being able to carry out some financial planning for retirement, most Brazilians cannot have good future expectations and savings behavior. Women, young people, divorced/separated persons, black persons, individuals with up to complete elementary education, borrowed housing, unemployed, with a gross monthly family income of up to R$ 1,100.00 and having 4 or more dependent persons constitute the profile of citizens less capable of dealing with financial preparation for retirement.

This work aims to create and validate the digital financial knowledge scale (DFKS). Three studies were carried out, including a focus group, expert validation, pre-testing, and the application of item response theory. From these procedures, two versions of the scale were constructed and validated. An evaluation and classification methodology was proposed. Two versions for measuring digital financial knowledge are presented. The long version is composed of 40 items and the short version has 26 items. Applying the proposed methodology, it is possible to classify the level of digital financial knowledge as low, intermediate, or high. The DFKS can be useful for both financial system agents and governments and researchers, who can use it in different contexts. In the banking sector, identifying the level of digital financial knowledge can reduce risks, as losses suffered by clients due to an uninformed adoption of digital banking services break the relationship of trust and can lead to lower financial inclusion.