This brief explores the possibility of linking a short-term savings, or “sidecar,” account to a traditional retirement account to better meet consumers’ short- and long-term financial needs.

Exploring the ways low- and moderate-income households can build savings for the short-term.

This brief reviews the current research on how families cope with income volatility, identifies existing hybrid products that have demonstrated capacity to help, discusses the roles of the institutions best positioned to act, and recommends principles for further action.