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Behavioural Insights
Thoughtful analysis of how psychology shapes financial behaviour, spending habits, and long term decision making, translating academic research into practical insights that help individuals make smarter, more intentional financial choices.
Decentralised Finance Part 2: The Behavioural Science Perspective
This article is part of 2 of a mini-series on Decentralised Finance and its most common form: cryptocurrencies. I have written part 1 as...
Merle van den Akker
Nov 6, 20199 min read
Decentralised Finance: Future or Farce? (Part 1)
Decentralised Finance, often referred to as DeFi if you're really short on letters, is a form of finance that doesn't rely on a central...
Merle van den Akker
Nov 1, 20198 min read
Six Steps to Make You Spend LESS!
A lot of Behavioural Science, and Behavioural Economics and Behavioural Finance are just as guilty of this. go on and on about...
Merle van den Akker
Oct 30, 20198 min read
Why is the U.S. lagging on Contactless?
Every single time I present my contactless research, I have to specifically mention that my research is done in the UK, where contactless...
Merle van den Akker
Oct 7, 20194 min read
How much should Kids know about Finance?
At what time in your life did your parents teach you about money? Did you ever know about how well off you family was? How much money...
Merle van den Akker
Oct 3, 20195 min read
Is Your Phone Tricking You Into Spending More?
We have come a long way from bartering – going to a market with bales of hay to trade against liters of milk. Yes, we have come a long...
Merle van den Akker
Sep 30, 20195 min read
Does it Pay to be Obsessed with Money?
Money, money, money, always sunny, in a rich man’s world. If ABBA sings it, could it possibly be untrue? In my previous article I focused...
Merle van den Akker
Sep 23, 20195 min read
Mental Health and Money
It is often assumed that the more money you have, the more you can do for yourself in terms of (mental) health and self-care. The rich...
Merle van den Akker
Sep 19, 20194 min read
Handing out Free Money; Does it Work?
Here you go: 1000 dollars. A gift from me. What would you do with this? Buy a new laptop? Go on holiday? Pay off some of your debt? Or...
Merle van den Akker
Sep 9, 20195 min read
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