Taloustoime

Taloustoime is a Finnish term used to describe the study and practice of managing household resources. It encompasses budgeting, spending, saving, debt management, risk assessment, and decision making about consumption and lifestyles within a family or household. The concept sits at the intersection of personal finance, consumer economics, and family economics, and is closely related to the broader field of home economics (kotitalous).

Historically, taloustoime has been taught as part of home economics education in Finnish schools, focusing on practical skills such as budgeting, meal planning, nutrition, and energy efficiency. In academic and policy discussions, it is used to analyze how households respond to price changes, income shocks, and public policies affecting household welfare.

Core topics include budgeting methods, financial literacy, savings and investment decisions, debt and credit management, risk and insurance, housing costs, energy use, and time use for economic efficiency.

Relation to other disciplines: overlaps with economics, particularly microeconomics and behavioral economics, as well as social policy and consumer advocacy.

See also: home economics, personal finance, household economics, and family economics.