Michael Gutter, PhD
Family Financial Management
Associate Professor
3002C McCarty Hall D
Phone: (352) 273-3529
Email: msgutter@ufl.edu
Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Michael Gutter is an Assistant Professor and Financial Management State Specialist for the Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, in the Institute for Food and Agricultural at the University of Florida. His BS is in Family Financial Management and his PhD is in Family Resource Management from The Ohio State University with a specialization in Finance. Gutter has received several awards including the 1999 Texas Instruments Award for an Outstanding Paper, 2001 ACCI Dissertation Award, 2003 School of Human Ecology Excellence in Outreach Service Award, and the 2008 American Council on Consumer Interests Mid-Career Award. Gutter is the current Vice President of the Florida Jumpstart Coalition and serves on the editorial boards for the Journal of Consumer Affairs, Journal of Consumer Education, and the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning.
The common theme that connects Gutter’s Research, Teaching and Outreach is helping households achieve financial security. This has involved research examining how socioeconomic status, financial education, personal psychology, and financial socialization are related to financial behaviors. In the context of this model, Gutter currently explores how financial education is related to financial behaviors and whether or not it is effective as a treatment resulting in improved financial decision making. One focus is on the issue of financial socialization and learning more about the role social learning plays in predicting financial behaviors. Gutter and Garrison (2008) and Gutter, Copur, and Garrison (2010) as well as a recently completed MS Thesis (Garrison, 2010) have further contributed greater understanding to forces shaping financial behaviors by connecting social learning opportunities to financial dispositions and behaviors. This line of research has funding from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation, National Endowment for Financial Education, and the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.
Gutter’s outreach projects include Managing in Tough Times, Florida Saves, Get Checking, and the Master Money Mentor. His projects focus on enabling access to resources and services as well as improving people’s knowledge and understanding about family resource management. These projects have had funding from the Consumer Federation of America and Bank of America.