Monetary savings and neuropsychological functioning in older adults without dementia

Socioeconomic status has been associated with cognitive functioning across the lifespan, but specific neuropsychological and economic components were not considered by previous studies. Here, we investigated monetary savings as a measure of socioeconomic status and its association with performance across multiple neuropsychological measures in older adults without dementia.

Participants included 111 individuals (M_age = 68.5, SD = 7.2; M years of education = 16.7, SD = 2.2; 73% female; 75.7% White) recruited from the greater Los Angeles area. Demographic data, household income, and combined monetary savings across checking and savings accounts were self-reported through a questionnaire. Participants completed cognitive measures from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set, Version 3, and the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognitive Battery, Version 2. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to evaluate associations between monetary savings and each cognitive measure. All analyses controlled for age, sex, years of education, and income.

Greater monetary savings were associated with greater performance on a fluid cognition domain (b = 1.18, 95% CI [0.10, 2.25], p = .032), and more specifically on an inhibitory control task (b = 0.98, 95% CI [0.25, 1.70], p = .009). Post hoc analyses demonstrated that this effect was driven by individuals with above-median savings (b = 2.02, 95% CI [0.04, 3.99], p = .045).

Our findings suggest that greater inhibitory control is associated with greater monetary savings and that this relationship is more salient among older individuals with relatively high savings. Further research is needed to determine the underlying mechanisms of this association. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).