The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a range of challenges to workers in America. Essential workers have been left without basic protections while others struggle with care responsibilities working from home. Unprecedented millions have become une

When Retirement Savings meets Economic Crisis: Lessons from COVID-19

Jun 17th, 2020 1h 2m

Nearly 50 million Americans – disproportionately, people of color — do not have access to a retirement savings account at work. And for millions who do have access to a workplace retirement savings account, their 401(k) is their only form of s

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

Jun 10th, 2020 57m 29s

While emergency savings offer a financial lifeline for households to cope with the unexpected, 28% of U.S. adults had no emergency savings going into the COVID-19 crisis. The crisis has hit certain populations particularly hard: only about a t

Paid Leave, Livable Wage, Affordable Care: Policies that Could Avert the Next Crisis

Jun 3rd, 2020 1h 2m

Leading up to COVID-19, one in seven people in America were caring for children, adults, and elders. Today, the global pandemic has left many childcare providers and domestic workers without income, and it has also resulted in some having to ma

Managing, Collecting, and Forgiving Consumer Debt: Lessons for Policymakers and Business Leaders

May 27th, 2020 1h 5m

Before COVID-19, consumer debt in America was at an all-time high of over $14 trillion– exceeding 2008 debt levels in real terms– according to the New York Federal Reserve. During and after COVID-19, the unprecedented levels of unemployment wil

Student Loan Debt: Is Cancellation What Our Economy Needs?

May 20th, 2020 46m 15s

More than 40 million Americans have outstanding student loan balances – totaling over $1.5 trillion. The CARES Act provided temporary relief to borrowers, but payments will come due once again on *October 1—six months into the COVID-19 health

Cash Infusions: Stability now, Security Later

May 13th, 2020 1h 1m

The CARES Act’s provision to send $1,200 to people marks a notable shift in political willingness to give people money – and it refuted long-held skepticism about whether low-income people know what’s best in how to spend their money. Does the

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

May 6th, 2020 59m 54s

In January, the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program published a paper outlining the housing affordability and stability crisis that approximately 100 million Americans faced. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Americans are now facing

Stress Test: People, Technology, and the Safety Net In Response To Covid-19

Apr 29th, 2020 1h 4m

The economic damage of COVID-19 has led millions of Americans to seek assistance from the safety net, which has exposed both the existing flaws in the public benefits system and the new challenges in serving a massive influx of people. What is

Building Financial Security in a COVID-19 World: Triage, Recover, Stabilize

Apr 15th, 2020 35m 46s

The financial challenges for American households didn’t start with COVID-19 – and they won’t end with the $2 trillion stimulus package. Ida Rademacher and Joanna Smith-Ramani explore the state of U.S. households coming into 2020 – and what poli

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