Her fields of interest include behavioral finance, consumer financial protection, financial regulation, and urban and regional economics. Her research efforts focus on household and individual financial behaviors such as credit use, saving, investment, and retirement planning. She also studies the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the heterogeneity of financial behaviors. Dr. Xu aims to characterize social, economic, and legal environments that promote conscious and sound financial decisions among individuals and households, especially among those with limited financial literacy and great financial constraints. Her research provides policy implications on financial regulation, consumer financial protection, financial education, and neighborhood stability.