Liezl Eriksson

Tell us about Liezl Eriksson.

I am originally from South Africa but have lived in Sweden for 18 out of my soon-to-be 42 years. Most of my work experience comes from the forestry industry, where I worked as a financial manager, but I have also spent a few years as a group leader in the financial management of housing cooperatives. I live with my family just outside Östersund, and in my free time, I enjoy exercising and spending time with family and friends.

Describe your research.

I am at the very beginning of my research career. Right now, I am very interested in researching financial knowledge, financial confidence, and their impact on retirement.

What sparked your interest in this field?

After a few years of teaching here at Mittuniversitetet, I returned to the business world, but I couldn't let go of the idea of research. So now, I have been back at Mittuniversitetet for 1.5 years. In the beginning, I had difficulty specifying what my research would be about because I have a broad work experience that I would like to leverage. I simply chose what I am most passionate about right now, and I hope to incorporate more areas of interest as I go along.

Why is your research needed?

For a financially sustainable society (in the long run), I think it is crucial to increase financial knowledge and financial confidence.

How do you allocate your time between research and teaching?

The plan is to have a 50/50 distribution, simply the best of both worlds, teaching and research.

Dream scenario in terms of your job?

I usually say that I want to contribute to educating future economists, but I actually want much more than that. Through my research, I want to contribute to more people having a stable financial future. Achieving both and enjoying my job is the dream scenario