Inclusive Financial System Archive

Benefits Over Burdens: Policymaking Lessons from the Expanded Child Tax Credit

Policies to boost household cash-flow--including the expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC)--were a cornerstone of the f ...

BY Financial Security Program

11.10.2021

Moving from Experimentation to the Mainstream

In this brief we seek to illuminate policymakers’ opportunities to help make emergency savings both automatic and inclusive.

BY Financial Security Program Karen Biddle Andres Tim Shaw Taylor Gauthier

09.01.2021

Stressed senior couple looking over finances

How to Protect the Emergency Savings of American Families

An emergency savings balance serves as a cushion, limiting the need for households to dip into their retirement savings.

BY Stan Treger Financial Security Program

07.28.2021

For Children, Better Data Equals Better Policy

Policymakers evaluating the expanded Child Tax Credit should tap into the trove of in-the-moment data to see the program’s impact and reach.

BY Financial Security Program Justin King

07.27.2021

It Isn’t Recovery Unless We Rebuild Worker Financial Security

Rebuilding the economy can stabilize families if it includes a better benefits system.

07.26.2021

Building the Tech-Enabled Safety Net

COVID-19 has highlighted the central role that technology plays in delivering essential services such as food, housing assistance, and unemployment insuran ...

BY Financial Security Program Justin King

05.24.2021

Making Retirement Savings Part of an Equitable Recovery

In order to achieve retirement security for the millions of those who are facing an uncertain future after years of work, we need strong leadership from all parts of the retirement savings ecosystem.

BY Financial Security Program

05.21.2021

The Future of Worker Financial Security: The Nexus of Work and Benefits

The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program and WorkRise explored our research and held a conversation about building better on-ramps to financial security and economic mobility.

BY Financial Security Program

04.28.2021

The 2021 Aspen Leadership Forum on Retirement Savings: Making Retirement Savings Part of an Equitable Recovery

On April 15, 2021, the Aspen Leadership Forum on Retirement Savings is kicking off its fifth convening with a free, public dialogue on how retirement savings must be part of an equitable recovery from COVID-19.

BY Financial Security Program

04.15.2021

Break Cycles of Poverty and Grow Family Prosperity

In a Morning Consult op-ed, Anne Mosle discusses the historic opportunities the American Rescue Plan offers to cut child poverty in half and increase well-being for all children and families: Break Cycles of Poverty and Grow Family Prosperity by Making Permanent Investments in Families

BY Anne Mosle

04.02.2021

American Rescue Plan and the US System of Benefits

The American Rescue Plan signals the importance of taking a more holistic approach to supporting household financial security and the potential of such approach on ensuring households recover, in a more equitable way, from this pandemic.

BY Financial Security Program

03.29.2021

Better Technology, Better Retirement Savings: Exploring the Digital Tools that Improve User Experience

Part two in a two-part event series on how technologies could change our retirement savings system -- and how this transformation could lead to greater access, portability, security, and equity.

BY Financial Security Program

03.10.2021

The Future of Worker Financial Security

The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program and WorkRise explored our research and held a conversation about building better on-ramps to financial security and economic mobility.

03.08.2021

Outdated Retirement Savings Technology Could be Harming Workers in America

Today’s retirement savings system needs a technological overhaul.

BY Karen Biddle Andres Financial Security Program

01.28.2021

Building Housing Security During COVID-19 and Beyond

Housing was once the most common way most families built wealth in America, but today, it is a primary driver of ...

BY Financial Security Program

01.12.2021

Three Stories That Reveal Why Housing Policy Is Critical

Three stories that elevate people’s real housing experiences and expose why housing policy is critical now and for the future.

BY Financial Security Program SaverLife, Tim Lucas Dyvonne Body

01.04.2021

Best Practices for Emergency Rental Assistance Programs

This slide deck lays out emerging best practices for the design and administration of rental assistance programs for states, localities, and their non-profit partners who will be called upon to disburse billions in rental assistance.

BY Financial Security Program Katherine Lucas McKay Sam Gilman Zach Neumann

12.22.2020

A $50 million plan to help Americans save for emergencies

This article was written by Richard Eisenberg for NextAvenue.com on Dec. 3, 2019. Click here to access the full article. "What exactly is an emergency sav ...

BY Financial Security Program

12.03.2020

Financial Security 2020

During the past five years, the disconnect between the strength of the U.S. economy and the financial security of ...

BY Financial Security Program

11.18.2020

A family with two children sitting using a tablet together.

The Dynamism of Short-Term Savings

The health and economic ramifications of COVID-19 have increased the urgency of finding and scaling solutions to ...

BY Financial Security Program

11.09.2020

The Consequences of Failed Stimulus Negotiations

Federal policymakers must advance an ambitious recovery agenda with wealth building at its center.

BY Ida Rademacher Tim Shaw Financial Security Program

10.28.2020

Retirement Act Indicates Momentum Toward a More Inclusive Savings System

On Tuesday, October 27, 2020, Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) and Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-TX) introduced the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2020.

BY Ida Rademacher Financial Security Program

10.28.2020

Action Agenda for Inclusive Financial Systems

Financial Inclusion Week (FIW) is an annual gathering of the global community working to advance inclusive financ ...

BY Financial Security Program

10.16.2020

America’s Looming Eviction Crisis

This episode of Aspen Insight explores how the pandemic may generate the most severe housing crisis in US history.

BY Aspen Insight

08.28.2020

30-40 Million People in the US Are at Risk of Eviction

People of color, particularly Black and Latinx people, constitute approximately 80% of people facing eviction.

BY Emily Benfer David Bloom Robinson Stacy Butler Lavar Edmonds Sam Gilman Katherine Lucas McKay Lisa Owens Neil Steinkamp Diane Yentel Zach Neumann

08.07.2020

Extend Enhanced Unemployment Benefits for 32 Million People in Need

Extending UI is Essential to Safeguarding Financial Security and Our Economic Recovery Within a week the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPU ...

BY Tim Shaw Financial Security Program

07.20.2020

20 Million Renters Are at Risk of Eviction

Without government intervention, one in five Americans who live in renter households will be evicted by the end of September.

BY Katherine Lucas McKay Sam Gilman Zach Neumann

06.19.2020

When Retirement Savings meets Economic Crisis

Nearly 50 million Americans – disproportionately, people of color -- do not have access to a retirement savings ...

BY Financial Security Program

06.17.2020

Emergency Savings: Re-Learning Lessons or Have we Reached its Limits?

While emergency savings offer a financial lifeline for households to cope with the unexpected, 28% of U.S. adults ...

BY Financial Security Program

06.10.2020

Pandemic Will Mean a Worse Retirement for Millions of Workers

FSP Director Karen Biddle Andres is featured in this Governing article by Alan Greenblatt and published on June 1, 2020. Click here to access the full arti ...

BY Financial Security Program

06.01.2020

Five Lessons About Financial Well-Being

Money is power. Power to keep yourself and your family safe, and to make choices with dignity and freedom.

BY Genevieve Melford Financial Security Program

05.15.2020

The State of Housing: Will Cancelling Rent and Halting Evictions Lead to Recovery?

We can implement solutions that will put our communities on a path build a stronger system of affordable, high-quality housing across the country.

BY Financial Security Program

05.06.2020

Lack of Emergency Savings is Dangerous; We Need to Make it as Automatic as Saving in a 401(k)

The priority for leaders now must be emergency relief desperately needed to keep families afloat today, but when the economy eventually emerges from its lockdown, families will need more tools to save for future emergencies like this one.

BY Financial Security Program

04.21.2020

Americans Face Financial Insecurity as Pandemic Hits

The global pandemic is crashing headlong into our financial health epidemic, resulting in a downward spiral.

BY Karen Biddle Andres Tim Shaw

03.20.2020

4 Reasons People Succeed at Retirement

This article was originally written by Catherine Brock and published on The Motley Fool on 1/20/20. Click here to access the full story. "How do you see ...

BY Financial Security Program

01.20.2020

Congressional Passage of SECURE Act Signals Retirement Security is a Top National Priority

On Thursday, December 19, 2019, Congress passed legislation that signals a strong, bipartisan commitment to improve American retirement security, the Setti ...

BY Ida Rademacher Financial Security Program

12.20.2019

Five Ways to Improve Retirement Security in the U.S.

October 23, 2019The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program lays out ways industry leaders and policymakers can improve Americans’ retirement outlook, including expanded access to plans and help with emergency savings.

BY Lee Barney

10.28.2019

A National Strategy to Build an Inclusive Financial System

Amid the longest period of sustained economic growth in modern US history, millions of American individuals and households are struggling to find financial stability in the short-term and security in the long-term.

BY Financial Security Program

10.18.2019

Employers Are Helping Build Emergency Savings

October 15, 2019 Ida Rademacher authored this piece from Bottom Line Personal on employee emergency savings.

BY Ida Rademacher Financial Security Program

10.18.2019

What would a workplace emergency-savings benefit look like?

October 11, 2019 Genevieve Melford is quoted in this Benefit News article on workplace emergency-savings benefit.

BY Financial Security Program

10.18.2019

A group of people working in a modern office.

Many Americans Still Face Financial Instability

July 30, 2019 The Pew Charitable Trusts interviews show continued challenges linked to income, job markets, and family situations.

BY Financial Security Program

07.30.2019

A National Financial Inclusion Strategy

May 2019 Aspen FSP held a private convening on pursing a national financial inclusion strategy.

BY Financial Security Program

07.24.2019

Democrats push financial inclusion as 2020 election race heats up

March 22, 2019 Ida Rademacher is quoted in Anna Irrera's Reuters article on the state of America's banking system and how financial access is emerging as a prominent theme in the 2020 presidential election.

BY Anna Irrera

07.24.2019

Financial Inclusion and Impact

July 18, 2019 Genevieve Melford to present at the Financial Inclusion and Impact: Updating the Narrative Roundtable, hosted by CGAP.

BY Financial Security Program

07.08.2019

Promoting Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity

Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield in conversation with the Aspen Institute’s Ida Rademacher, Mastercard’s Michael Froman, and Prudential’s Lata Reddy.

BY Daniel R. Porterfield

06.28.2019

NEST Insight 2019

July 4, 2019 Ida will join NEST Insight as a featured speaker for the the fourth annual NEST Insight conference.

BY Financial Security Program

06.13.2019

Employers Help Workers Build Household-Emergency Funds

June 13. 2019 Ida Rademacher is featured in this WSJ article on employer emergency savings accounts.

BY Financial Security Program Anne Tergesen

06.13.2019

An Intergenerational Discussion on Retirement Solutions

June 19, 2019 Program Associate Ben White will join the Navigating Retirement Issues panel to discuss Innovative Model Savings Programs.

BY Financial Security Program

06.12.2019

Podcast | HOPE for Financial Inclusion

June 11, 2019 Ida Rademacher is featured in this podcast covering our work with nLIFT and the Consumer Insights Collaborative.

BY Financial Security Program

06.11.2019

Advising on Short-Term Goals

May 30, 2019 Similar to long-term retirement planning, short-term financial goals are significant to a worker’s overall financial satisfaction and security. This article features Research Manager Sheida Elmi.

BY Amanda Umpierrez

05.30.2019

Offering Short-Term Stability to Help Employees Have Long-Term Security

May 29, 2019 Sheida Elmi is quoted on the importance of handling short-term financial goals—or shocks—to improve an employee’s ability to save for the future.

BY Amanda Umpierrez

05.29.2019

Nonprofits Pool Data to Understand Short-Term Financial Stability

April 26, 2019 The Collaborative seeks to harness nonprofits’ deep understandings of their clients’ financial lives to inform programmatic and policy solutions.

BY Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity

05.07.2019

Statement on the SECURE Act

This promising bipartisan legislation addresses some of the most critical challenges facing the US retirement system, including coverage, portability, and lifetime income.

BY Ida Rademacher Financial Security Program

04.02.2019

How will NEST Insight’s sidecar savings trial work?

NEST Insight's sidecar savings trial will include measures to understand whether financial wellbeing and likely retirement outcomes differ because of the availability of emergency savings.

BY NEST Insight

12.12.2018

Technology for an Inclusive Economy

There is reason to hope these new technologies will be combined in ways that move the needle on financial inclusion.

BY Financial Security Program Ben White

10.31.2018

Fulfilling the Promise of Fintech

Fintech has the potential to improve the lives of Americans who are struggling financially.

BY Business Ownership Initiative Financial Security Program

09.13.2018

The nLIFT Manifesto

This Manifesto sets forth nLIFT’s vision, our values, and our theory of change within the fintech sector.

BY Financial Security Program Business Ownership Initiative

09.11.2018

Executive Order on Strengthening Retirement

The Order directs the Labor and Treasury Departments to consider regulatory changes that would make it easier for small businesses to pool resources to offer employees workplace retirement accounts.

BY Ida Rademacher Financial Security Program

09.05.2018

Strengthening Financial Security Through Short-Term Savings Act

A bipartisan group of Senators introduced S. 3218, the Strengthening Financial Security Through Short-Term Savings Act. The bill would make it easier for employers to help their workers set up rainy day savings accounts alongside traditional retirement funds.

BY Ida Rademacher Financial Security Program

07.17.2018

Our Financial Systems Are Crippling Returning Citizens

We must explore credit-building and entrepreneurship as strategies for helping those back from prison.

BY Dara Duguay and Maria Sennett

04.02.2018

A Hybrid Approach to Financial Security

Exploring the tension between collective power and individual freedom in managing life expenses.

BY Jeremy Smith

03.12.2018

Securing the Financial Future of Latino Americans

Latinos must be better equipped to save for retirement to avoid a future crisis down the line.

BY Sarah Alvarez

12.01.2017

Meeting Short- and Long-Term Financial Needs

How can we help families cope with financial shocks and volatility while protecting their retirement accounts from being depleted prematurely?

BY Financial Security Program David Mitchell

07.31.2017

Americans Need More Savings Options, Not Fewer

The Treasury Department announced that it would end the myRA program, an Obama administration initiative that offered simple, no-cost retirement savings accounts.

BY Ida Rademacher Jeremy Smith

07.28.2017

How Social Policy Is Leaving Behind the Economically Insecure

The risk of economic insecurity is a useful lens through which to understand today’s economy and politics.

BY Jared Bernstein

06.28.2017

Building Financial Security in DC

What are the barriers households in DC face in securing financial stability and who are the actors working to help these households reach greater security?

BY Kiese Hansen

06.06.2017

The Future of Retirement Savings

55 million Americans don't have a retirement plan. Here's how to change that.

BY Laurie Rowley, Guest Blogger

06.01.2017

How to Trick People Into Saving Money

In an article in The Atlantic, nLIFT partner Commonwealth offers insights on boosting savings.

BY Rob Walker

05.01.2017

Every American Deserves Financial Security

It is expensive to be poor.

BY Mae Watson Grote

04.14.2017

Half of All Americans Don't Have $400 to Spare

If we can equip many more households to be prepared for inevitable financial ups and downs, we can help millions of Americans bring stability to their lives.

BY Timothy Flacke

04.11.2017

Building Barriers Won't Solve Economic Inequality

Pain is pain.

BY William Bynum

03.29.2017

State Innovation on Retirement Security Should Be Preserved

If this Obama-era retirement regulation is halted, millions of hard-working Americans could lose out on a great opportunity to save for their future.

BY Ida Rademacher Jeremy Smith David Mitchell

02.24.2017

Could financial bundling be the answer for millions of households?

Which set of products will breakthrough and provide financial stability at scale remains to be seen, but our hope at Aspen FSP is that by highlighting and supporting these efforts, we will inch closer to achieving that ultimate goal.

BY Financial Security Program

12.19.2016

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