Financial Services Shopping Preferences: A Comparison Of African American And White Households

The purpose of this study is to generate information for financial services marketers who are seeking to reach and provide more effective service to the growing African American segment. This information is needed because research has shown that the shopping behavior of African American consumers differs from that of their white counterparts in terms of information gathering and patronage patterns.  Therefore, different marketing communications techniques may be needed to reach these people. Nevertheless, there has been a paucity of contemporary empirical studies of how shopping behaviors manifest themselves with regard to the purchase of financial services. This paper uses the Federal Reserve System's most recent Survey of Consumer Finances to analyze differences between black and white household financial services shoppers.  Findings indicate that there are similarities and differences in the ways that blacks and whites seek to access the offerings of this industry.  Suggestions are offered to financial services marketers based on these findings

The African-American Financial Services Market: Profiling The Substantiality And Viability Of An Underserved Segment

The purpose of this study is to help marketers recognize, understand and respond to the underserved African-American financial services market in the U.S.  To do so, the study examines demographic trends and financial consumption patterns of African-American consumers, drawing on the most recent Survey of Consumer Finances to explore the principal differences between black and white households’ asset holdings and financial product and service preferences.  Findings indicate that the African-American market has grown rapidly in size and viability over the past decade, and that African-American consumers differ markedly from their white counterparts in terms of financial product preferences and investment portfolio composition.  The difference between the two segments is especially evident in the case of relatively more risky, but higher return, financial products.  Based on these findings it is apparent that marketers should endeavor to reach this increasingly attractive but underserved segment of the U.S. financial services marketplace

Cases in finance

1 v. (various pagings) : ill. ; 26 cm

Inflammatory biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease plasma

Plasma biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis/stratification are a "Holy Grail" of AD research and intensively sought; however, there are no well-established plasma markers. A hypothesis-led plasma biomarker search was conducted in the context of international multicenter studies. The discovery phase measured 53 inflammatory proteins in elderly control (CTL; 259), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; 199), and AD (262) subjects from AddNeuroMed. Ten analytes showed significant intergroup differences. Logistic regression identified five (FB, FH, sCR1, MCP-1, eotaxin-1) that, age/APOε4 adjusted, optimally differentiated AD and CTL (AUC: 0.79), and three (sCR1, MCP-1, eotaxin-1) that optimally differentiated AD and MCI (AUC: 0.74). These models replicated in an independent cohort (EMIF; AUC 0.81 and 0.67). Two analytes (FB, FH) plus age predicted MCI progression to AD (AUC: 0.71). Plasma markers of inflammation and complement dysregulation support diagnosis and outcome prediction in AD and MCI. Further replication is needed before clinical translation