Asset Building And Low Income Families

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Asset Building and Low-income Families

Author : Signe-Mary McKernan
Publisher : The Urban Insitute
ISBN 13 : 9780877667544
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (675 download)

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Book Synopsis Asset Building and Low-income Families by : Signe-Mary McKernan

Download or read book Asset Building and Low-income Families written by Signe-Mary McKernan and published by The Urban Insitute. This book was released on 2008 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Low-income families have scant savings to cushion a job loss or illness, and can find economic mobility impossible without funds to invest in education, homes, or businesses. And though a lack of resources leaves such families vulnerable, income-support programs are often closed to those with a bit of savings or even a car. Considering welfare-to-work reforms, the increasingly advanced skill demands of the American workforce, and our stretched Social Security system, such an approach is inadequate to lift families out of poverty. Asset-based policies--allowing or even helping low-income families build wealth--are an increasingly popular strategy to facilitate financial stability.

Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households

Author : Margaret Sherraden
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190238585
Total Pages : 600 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households by : Margaret Sherraden

Download or read book Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households written by Margaret Sherraden and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-04-26 with total page 600 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Financial struggles of American families are headline news. In communities across the nation, families feel the pinch of stagnant and sometimes declining incomes. Many have not recovered from the Great Recession, when millions lost their homes and retirement savings. They are bombarded daily with vexing financial decisions: Which bills to pay? Where to cash checks? How to cover an emergency? How to improve a credit report? How to bank online? How to save for the future? Low- and moderate-income families have few places to turn for guidance on financial matters. Not many can afford to pay a financial advisor to help navigate an increasingly complex financial world. They do their best with advice from family and trusted individuals. Social workers, financial counselors, and human services professionals can help. As "first responders," they assist families and help in finding financial support from public and private sources. But these professionals are too often unprepared to address the full range of financial troubles of ordinary working families. Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households prepares social workers, financial counselors, and other human service professionals for financial practice with vulnerable families. Building on more than 20 years of research, the book sets the stage with key concepts, historical antecedents, and current financial challenges of families in America. It provides knowledge and tools to assist families in pressing financial circumstances, and offers a lifespan perspective of financial capability and environmental influences on financial behaviors and actions. Furthermore, the text details practice principles and skills for direct interventions, as well as for designing financial services and policy innovations. It is an essential resource for preparing the next generation of practitioners who can enable families to achieve economic security and development.

Assets for the Poor

Author : Thomas M. Shapiro
Publisher : Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN 13 : 1610444957
Total Pages : 404 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Assets for the Poor by : Thomas M. Shapiro

Download or read book Assets for the Poor written by Thomas M. Shapiro and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2001-05-17 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past three decades, average household wealth in the United States has declined among all but the richest families, with a near 80 percent drop among the nation's poorest families. Although the national debate about inequality has focused on income, it is wealth—the private assets amassed and passed on within families—that provides the extra economic cushion needed to move beyond mere day-to-day survival. Assets for the Poor is the first full-scale investigation into the importance of family wealth and the need for policies to encourage asset-building among the poor. Assets for the Poor shows how institutional mechanisms designed to encourage acquisition of capital and property favor middle-class and high-income families. For example, the aggregate value of home mortgage tax deductions far outweighs the dollar amount of the subsidies provided by Section 8 rental vouchers and public housing. Banking definitions of creditworthiness largely exclude minorities, and welfare rules have made it nearly impossible for single mothers to accumulate savings, let alone stocks or real estate. Due to persistent residential segregation, even those minority families who do own homes are often denied equal access to better schools and public services. The research in this volume shows that the poor do make use of the assets they have. Cash gifts—although small in size—are frequent within families and often lead to such positive results as homebuying and debt reduction, while tangible assets such as tools and cars help increase employment prospects. Assets for the Poor examines policies such as Individual Development Account tax subsidies to reward financial savings among the poor, and more liberal credit rules to make borrowing easier and less costly. The contributors also offer thoughtful advice for bringing the poor into mainstream savings institutions and warn against developing asset building policies at the expense of existing safety net programs. Asset-building for low-income families is a powerful idea that offers hope to families searching for a way out of poverty. Assets for the Poor challenges current thinking regarding poverty reduction policies and proposes a major shift in the way we think about families and how they make a better life. A Volume in the Ford Foundation Series on Asset Building

Building Assets, Building Credit

Author : Nicolas Paul Retsinas
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 422 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Building Assets, Building Credit by : Nicolas Paul Retsinas

Download or read book Building Assets, Building Credit written by Nicolas Paul Retsinas and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Today, more low-income Americans have greater access to credit than ever before, thanks in large part to the growth of global capital markets and liberal use of credit scores. But not all have benefited equally from the opened spigots. Some are overpaying for mortgage credit, others are getting in over their heads, and some have become the victims of predatory lenders." "In this volume, noted analysts examine how low-income families can continue to participate in the American dream of homeownership, building up assets and equity along the way, and what businesses and government can do to ensure that low-income families succeed in homeownership."--BOOK JACKET.

Asset Building & Community Development

Author : Gary Paul Green
Publisher : SAGE Publications
ISBN 13 : 1483387011
Total Pages : 477 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (833 download)

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Book Synopsis Asset Building & Community Development by : Gary Paul Green

Download or read book Asset Building & Community Development written by Gary Paul Green and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2015-04-01 with total page 477 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive approach focused on sustainable change Asset Building and Community Development, Fourth Edition examines the promise and limits of community development by showing students and practitioners how asset-based developments can improve the sustainability and quality of life. Authors Gary Paul Green and Anna Haines provide an engaging, thought-provoking, and comprehensive approach to asset building by focusing on the role of different forms of community capital in the development process. Updated throughout, this edition explores how communities are building on their key assets—physical, human, social, financial, environmental, political, and cultural capital— to generate positive change. With a focus on community outcomes, the authors illustrate how development controlled by community-based organizations provides a better match between assets and the needs of the community.

Can the Poor Save?

Author : Michael Sherraden
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351530224
Total Pages : 408 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (515 download)

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Book Synopsis Can the Poor Save? by : Michael Sherraden

Download or read book Can the Poor Save? written by Michael Sherraden and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-08 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many policymakers argue that the best poverty policy not only provides cash to the poor for subsistence but also incentives and structures that encourage long-term social and economic improvement. As part of this, they make the case for Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), a new policy proposal designed to help the poor save and to build assets. This book explores IDAs to determine their effectiveness. IDAs are matched savings accounts targeted on low-income, low-wealth individuals. Savings in IDAs are used for home ownership, post-secondary education, small business development, and other purposes. Do IDAs work? If they do, for whom? And does how an IDA is designed determine savings outcomes? This volume is the first analysis of matched savings by the poor to use data from monthly bank statements. It comes at a critical time, as debate rages over the merits of individual social security accounts. IDAs also respond to policy that is becoming more asset based and less inclusive of the poor. The authors argue for the efficacy of IDAs to counter this tendency. They find that while savings outcomes vary among participants, no characteristics (such as low income or public assistance) preclude saving. They examine effects of IDA design (the match rate, savings targets, and the use of automatic transfer) on savings results and analyze factors that influence varying rates of saving and spending over time. They conclude that financial education and other support services, though costly, improve savings performance. To address the issue of cost they suggest a two-tier system of IDA design, one with broad access and simple services and the other with targeted access and intensive services. Can the Poor Save? offers a wealth of lessons to those interested in saving and asset accumulation among the poor. It not only breaks new ground in the scientific study of savings behavior, but also offers concrete, evidence-based recommendations to improve policies designed to encourage the poor to save and how to make such policies more inclusive.

Building Assets, Building Credit

Author : Nicolas P. Retsinas
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
ISBN 13 : 0815797842
Total Pages : 413 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (157 download)

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Book Synopsis Building Assets, Building Credit by : Nicolas P. Retsinas

Download or read book Building Assets, Building Credit written by Nicolas P. Retsinas and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2006-05-25 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Poor people spend their money living day to day. How can they accumulate wealth? In the United States, homeownership is often the answer. Homes not only provide shelter but also are assets, and thus a means to create equity. Mortgage credit becomes a crucial factor. More Americans than ever now have some access to credit. However. thanks in large part to the growth of global capital markets and greater use of "credit scores," not all homeowners have benefited equally from the opened spigots. Different terms and conditions mean that some applicants are overpaying for mortgage credit, while some are getting in over their heads. And the door is left wide open for predatory lenders. In this important new volume, accomplished analysts examine the situation, illustrate its ramifications, and recommend steps to improve it. Today, low-income Americans have more access to credit than ever before. The challenge is to increase the chances that homeownership becomes the new pathway to asset-building that everyone hopes it will be.

Building Assets for Low-income Families

Author : United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Finance. Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 204 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Building Assets for Low-income Families by : United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Finance. Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy

Download or read book Building Assets for Low-income Families written by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Finance. Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households

Author : Margaret S. Sherraden
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190238569
Total Pages : 473 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households by : Margaret S. Sherraden

Download or read book Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households written by Margaret S. Sherraden and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 473 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households is the first book of its kind. It prepares students and practitioners for financial practice. This comprehensive text offers knowledge and skills to enable families to improve their financial circumstances, and to promote policies and services for household economic security and development.

Critical Issues in Asset Building in Singapore's Development

Author : Singh Bilveer
Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 9813239778
Total Pages : 228 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (132 download)

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Book Synopsis Critical Issues in Asset Building in Singapore's Development by : Singh Bilveer

Download or read book Critical Issues in Asset Building in Singapore's Development written by Singh Bilveer and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2018-06-18 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Singapore's progress as an independent nation and the uplifting of its people's livelihood have been made possible by stable social and political conditions. A more important factor in driving these positive changes lies with people-centric leadership. One can contrast the case of Singapore with societies led by self-serving leaders whose lack of honesty and integrity brings about immense social and economic hardships to various communities. When people suffer under undesirable circumstances, they often migrate to seek better future for themselves and their families. This book reveals how Singapore's governance grounded on the principle of asset building facilitates the country's growth and development. Policies being discussed in this volume include multi-culturalism, accessible housing, social mobility for low-income families, water resource management, and national conscription. Highly relevant for students, policy makers and the general public interested in socio-political and economic development issues, this unique piece of work not only gives readers a documentary account of what has been undertaken to empower and assist citizens in the last 50 years or so, but also prompts them to reflect on Singapore's future trajectory.

Inclusion in the American Dream

Author : Michael Sherraden
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780195347098
Total Pages : 432 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (47 download)

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Book Synopsis Inclusion in the American Dream by : Michael Sherraden

Download or read book Inclusion in the American Dream written by Michael Sherraden and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2005-07-21 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inclusion in the American Dream brings together leading scholars and policy experts on the topic of asset building, particularly as this relates to public policy. The typical American household accumulates most of its assets in home equity and retirement accounts, both of which are subsidized through the tax system. But the poor, for the most part, do not participate in these asset accumulation policies. The challenge is to expand the asset-based policy structure so that everyone is included.

Financial Capability and Asset Building with Diverse Populations

Author : Julie Birkenmaier
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351202294
Total Pages : 151 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (512 download)

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Book Synopsis Financial Capability and Asset Building with Diverse Populations by : Julie Birkenmaier

Download or read book Financial Capability and Asset Building with Diverse Populations written by Julie Birkenmaier and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-12-07 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global economic recovery in the aftermath of the Great Recession has not been experienced equally: while the share of wealth owned by the richest 3% has grown, the share owned by the poorest 90% continues to decline, as reported by Oxfam in 2016. This wealth divide disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority communities. This book underscores the importance of financial capability and asset building (FCAB) practice, policy and research during a period when vulnerable populations face increasingly difficult economic and financial realities. At the same time, retrenchment and privatization of government-sponsored social services have eroded the safety net available for families experiencing poverty or near-poverty conditions. The proliferation of products and services available from both formal and informal financial institutions highlights the need to promote FCAB to avoid and/or recover from financial difficulties, crises and poverty. The contributors to this volume disseminate findings from interventions designed to increase financial knowledge, financial management and financial access across several vulnerable populations, including immigrant communities. Further, they demonstrate the need for culturally sensitive FCAB service delivery, considering opportunities and barriers posed by past and current life situations, experiences and environments experienced by different populations. The book is aimed at policymakers, researchers and practitioners who assist financially vulnerable people. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Community Practice.

The Assets Perspective

Author : R. Cramer
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137384883
Total Pages : 299 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (373 download)

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Book Synopsis The Assets Perspective by : R. Cramer

Download or read book The Assets Perspective written by R. Cramer and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-03-06 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The economy's struggles to overcome the lingering effects of the Great Recession presented unique but essential questions.The book considers a full range of data which considers how this recent experience has impacted households, providing a thorough and contemporary treatment of how the assets perspective has prompted changes within social policy.

Insufficient Funds

Author : Rebecca M. Blank
Publisher : Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN 13 : 1610445880
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Insufficient Funds by : Rebecca M. Blank

Download or read book Insufficient Funds written by Rebecca M. Blank and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2009-03-26 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One in four American adults doesn’t have a bank account. Low-income families lack access to many of the basic financial services middle-class families take for granted and are particularly susceptible to financial emergencies, unemployment, loss of a home, and uninsured medical problems. Insufficient Funds explores how institutional constraints and individual decisions combine to produce this striking disparity and recommends policies to help alleviate the problem. Mainstream financial services are both less available and more expensive for low-income households. High fees, minimum-balance policies, and the relative scarcity of banks in poor neighborhoods are key factors. Michael Barr reports the results of an in-depth study of financial behavior in 1,000 low- and moderate-income families in metropolitan Detroit. He finds that most poor households have bank accounts, but combine use of mainstream services with alternative options such as money orders, pawnshops, and payday lenders. Barr suggests that a tax credit for banks serving primarily disadvantaged customers could facilitate greater equality in the private financial sector. Drawing on evidence from behavioral economics, Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir show that low-income individuals exhibit many of the same patterns and weaknesses in financial decision making as middle-class individuals and could benefit from many of the same financial aids. They argue that savings programs that automatically enroll participants and require them to actively opt out in order to leave the program could drastically increase savings ability. Ronald Mann demonstrates that significant changes in the credit market over the past fifteen years have allowed companies to expand credit to a larger share of low-income families. Mann calls for regulations on credit card companies that would require greater disclosure of actual interest rates and fees. Raphael Bostic and Kwan Lee find that while home ownership has risen dramatically over the past twenty years, elevated risks for low-income families—such as foreclosure—may well outweigh the benefits of owning a home. The authors ultimately argue that if we want to demand financial responsibility from low-income households, we have an obligation to assure that these families have access to the banking, credit, and savings institutions that are readily available to higher-income families. Insufficient Funds highlights where and how access is blocked and shows how government policy and individual decisions could combine to eliminate many of these barriers in the future.

Financing Low Income Communities

Author : Julia Sass Rubin
Publisher : Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN 13 : 1610444817
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Financing Low Income Communities by : Julia Sass Rubin

Download or read book Financing Low Income Communities written by Julia Sass Rubin and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2007-11-15 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Access to capital and financial services is crucial for healthy communities. However, many impoverished individuals and neighborhoods are routinely ignored by mainstream financial institutions. This neglect led to the creation of community development financial institutions (CDFIs), which provide low-income communities with financial services and act as a conduit to conventional financial organizations and capital markets. Edited by Julia Sass Rubin, Financing Low-Income Communities brings together leading experts in the field to assess what we know about the challenges of bringing financial services and capital to poor communities, map out future lines of research, and propose policy reforms to make these efforts more effective. The contributors to Financing Low-Income Communities distill research on key topics related to community development finance. Daniel Schneider and Peter Tufano examine the obstacles that make saving and asset accumulation difficult for low-income households—such as the fact that tens of millions of low-income and minority adults don't have a bank account—and consider solutions, like making it easier for low-wage workers to enroll in 401(K) plans. Jeanne Hogarth, Jane Kolodinksy, and Marianne Hilgert review evidence showing that community-based financial education programs can be effective in changing families' saving and budgeting patterns. Lisa Servon proposes strategies for addressing the challenges facing the microenterprise field in the United States. Julia Sass Rubin discusses ways community loan and venture capital funds have adapted in response to the decreased availability of funding, and considers potential sources of new capital, such as state governments and public pension funds. Marva Williams explores the evolution and recent performance of community development banks and credit unions. Kathleen Engel and Patricia McCoy document the proliferation of predatory lenders, who market loans at onerous interest rates to financially vulnerable families and the devastating effects of such lending on communities—from increased crime to falling home values and lower tax revenues. Rachel Bratt reviews the policies and programs used to make rental and owned housing financially accessible. Rob Hollister proposes a framework for evaluating the contributions of community development financial institutions. Despite the many accomplishments of CDFIs over the last four decades, changing political and economic conditions make it imperative that they adapt in order to survive. Financing Low-Income Communities charts out new directions for public and private organizations which aim to end the financial exclusion of marginalized neighborhoods.

Reducing Global Poverty

Author : Caroline O.N. Moser
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 0815758588
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (157 download)

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Book Synopsis Reducing Global Poverty by : Caroline O.N. Moser

Download or read book Reducing Global Poverty written by Caroline O.N. Moser and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2008-06-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A daunting challenge to the international community is how to go about lifting the world's huge poor population out of poverty. "Asset-based" approaches to development are aimed specifically at designing and implementing public policies that will increase the capital assets of the poor—i.e., the physical, financial, human, social, and natural resources that can be acquired, developed, improved, and transferred across generations. In this pathbreaking book, Caroline Moser and a group of experts with on-the-ground experience provide a set of case studies of asset-building projects around the globe. The authors use a cutting-edge research framework that moves beyond quick snapshot solutions to the problem of poverty. They highlight the ways in which poor households and communities can move out of poverty through longer-term accumulation of capital assets. Contributors include Michael Carter (University of Wisconsin), Monique Cohen (Microfinance Opportunities), Sarah Cook (Institute of Development Studies, Sussex), Hector Cordero-Guzman (Baruch College, CUNY), Lilianne Fan (Oxfam, UK), Pablo Farias (Ford Foundation, New York), Clare Ferguson (formerly DFID), Andy Felton (FDIC), Sarah Gammage (Rutgers University), Anirudh Krishna (Duke University), Amy Liu (Brookings Institution), Vijay Mahajan (BASIX, India), Paula Nimpuno-Parente (Ford Foundation, South Africa), Manuel Orozco (Inter-American Dialogue),Victoria Quiroz-Becerra (Baruch College, CUNY), Dennis Rodgers (London School of Economics), and Andres Solimano (CEPAL, Santiago, Chile).

Owning Up

Author : Michelle Miller-Adams
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 9780815706410
Total Pages : 252 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (64 download)

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Book Synopsis Owning Up by : Michelle Miller-Adams

Download or read book Owning Up written by Michelle Miller-Adams and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2004-05-13 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite the recent success of welfare reform in moving people off public assistance and into jobs, most of America's working poor are still unable to accumulate even the most minimal of assets. Even when they are getting by, they lack many of the resources—tangible and intangible—that provide middle-class Americans with a sense of security, stability, and a stake in the future. In Owning Up, Michelle Miller-Adams demonstrates how asset-building programs, used in combination with traditional income-based support, can be an effective means for helping millions of American out of poverty. Miller-Adams expands the traditional concept of assets to encompass a range of tools, experiences, resources, and support systems that are necessary if asset building is to serve as an effective anti-poverty strategy. She identifies four types of assets that can represent sources of wealth for low-income individuals and communities: economic human social, and natural assets. Economic assets include equity, retirement savings, and other financial holdings. Human assets include education, knowledge, skills, and talents. Included among social assets are the networks of trust and reciprocity that bind communities together. Natural assets include the land, water, air and other natural resources we depend on for survival. Owning Up also examines five organizations at the forefront of building assets for the poor. Their stories are told through the eyes of individuals whose lives they have helped transform. These organizations have all developed effective strategies for building assets, and Miller-Adams identifies them as models to be emulated elsewhere. The profiled organizations include: Neighborhoods Incorporated of Battle Creek, Michigan. Its innovative strategies seek to increase home ownership and promote neighborhood revitalization in poor communities. The Watershed Research and Training Center. This local organization strengthens the natural resource-based eco