Financial literacy and numeracy: exploring the skills and knowledge needed to survive in complex financial systems

International audienceResearch shows that even before the pandemic many people were financially vulnerable, in the sense that they were struggling to 'make ends meet' relying on loans to cover even day-today costs. This paper outlines literature research undertaken to support a European funded project, called Money Matters, that aims to develop resources to help improve the financial literacy skills and knowledge of families defined as disadvantaged or financially vulnerable. Developing financial literacy skills, knowledge and behaviours is identified as one way to support families who feel insecure about their financial situations. The paper examines what is meant by financial literacy, the knowledge, skills, and pedagogies, and identifies a considerable range of factors related to financial vulnerability and points to the challenges of developing the wide range of necessary skills and knowledge, including numeracy, that families need to survive in an economy with complex financial tools on limited resources