Wendy De La Rosa
University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School
“Wendy De La Rosa is the co-creator and host of TED’s ‘Your Money and Your Mind’ series, a Forbes 30 under 30 Finance honoree, and a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow. Prior to joining Wharton, she helped start Google’s first behavioral economics unit. She co-created The Tenure Project, a conference dedicated to providing a supportive environment where junior faculty are welcomed and engaged in programs, events, and dialogues that address the important issues affecting Black, Latinx, and Native junior faculty obtaining tenure in US business schools.” – Deputy Dean’s Office, The Wharton School
Wendy De La Rosa, 34, is an Assistant Professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She focuses on using behavioral science to improve consumers’ financial well-being. She is interested in how people think about their resources and how these thoughts influence their saving, spending, and budgeting behaviors. Her award-winning research has been published in the Journal for Consumer Research and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, CNBC, Forbes, Scientific American, NPR, PBS Newshour, and TechCrunch, among others.
De La Rosa is also the co-creator and host of TED’s Your Money and Your Mind series, and her TED Talks have been viewed over seven million times. She serves on the boards of Code for America and Propel. She was also a private equity investor at Goldman Sachs.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2021
Education: PhD in Business Administration, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University; BS in Economics, the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Data & Analysis for Marketing Decisions and Consumer Behavior
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when … I joined Professor Adam Grant’s research lab and realized that I could test my own theories and answer my own questions scientifically. I felt like a pioneer, standing on the frontier of our collective knowledge about human behavior.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? My research focuses on how we partition our resources and the impact of these decisions on our judgments and behaviors. A key focus is understanding how payment frequency affects consumer spending.
In collaboration with Stephanie Tully, we’ve found that increased payment frequency, such as receiving daily rather than weekly pay, creates a perception of greater wealth. This perception, in turn, leads to increased spending. Our findings suggest that payment frequency, a seemingly minor detail, can have substantial effects on consumer behavior. These insights are not only critical for consumer financial planning but also have implications for how businesses and policymakers might structure payment schedules. This work is part of a larger body of research that continues to explore the nuances of financial decision-making.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be … in private equity (what I was doing before I ventured into academia).
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? I feel fortunate that at Wharton we have some of the best professors in the world. Like so many of them, I try to create an interactive learning environment where students can feel a sense of belonging and fairness.
One word that describes my first-time teaching: Exciting.
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: The job is even better than you imagined.
Professor I most admire and why: Professor Adam Grant. He truly dedicates himself to his students. He was the first person who encouraged me to get my PhD. Before I met him, I never thought that academia was a possibility. I am so grateful for his constant support and mentorship.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? Wharton students are the best! They are amazing in every way. But by far, what makes them a pleasure to teach is their insatiable curiosity and desire to make an impact.
What is most challenging? Keeping up with their insatiable curiosity.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Passionate.
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Indifferent.
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as … Just.
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? I love playing word games, especially the New York Times crossword. I also love dancing and expressing myself through movement.
How will you spend your summer? I’m not sure yet … hopefully traveling.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: Dominican Republic and Hawaii. I’m from the Dominican Republic, so I’m biased. There is no greater pleasure than sitting under a palm tree in the D.R., watching the waves hit the sand, listening to bachata, while a warm breeze caresses your face. Driving along Maui’s coastline with the windows down is a (very) close second.
Favorite book(s): Right now, it’s Snuggle Puppy! by Sandra Boynton because my daughter and I read it together every morning.
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? I am a hopeless romantic and have watched When Harry Met Sally more times than I care to admit. The dialogue, the comedic timing, the emotions! Is there any better line than, “I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible”?
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? I am such a fan of Latin music (bachata, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, dembow). The music compels you to move.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this … Egalitarianism.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at … focusing on the long-term externalities of their short-term focus.
I’m grateful for … my life. I recognize that I am an outlier in a thousand different ways, in large part, because of just sheer luck: being born at the right time (historically) to the superhuman of a mother I was blessed with, having access to a functioning educational system, bumping into my future husband randomly on Locust Walk, and meeting mentors who fundamentally cared about me. It would not have taken much for my life to have taken a vastly different path.
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