This study was designed to compare the financial attitudes, financial behaviors, and financial satisfaction of limited income households and middle income households. Deacon and Firebaugh’s family resource management systems theory was used as the theoretical model for this study. Measures of financial attitudes concerned the areas of planning, credit, spending, saving, insurance, financial responsibility, and expectations. Measures of financial behaviors concerned the areas of planning, spending, saving, credit, insurance, taxes, and financial responsibility. Measures of financial satisfaction concerned satisfaction with standard of living and amount of money saved or invested.

The respondents were a sub-set of an existing data base, Financial Attitudes and Practices of Virginia Citizens, Form A, (N=529). Forty-one respondents who reported a 1989 income below 125% of the poverty guidelines were included as the limited income sample. One hundred eight respondents who reported an income in 1989 between $30,000 and $44,999 were included as the middle income sample.

Descriptive statistics were used for demographic items. T-tests and chi-square tests were used to compare responses to the individual measures by income group. A t-test compared the mean summed scores for the measures of financial attitudes using a Likert type response scale.

There was a significant difference in the financial attitudes of limited income households and middle income households (p = .00). Using the same method for the measures of financial behaviors and financial satisfaction, it was found that there also were significant differences in the financial behaviors (p = .00) and financial satisfaction of limited income households and middle income households (p = .00).