The U.S. Financial Diaries (USFD) research project tracked 235 low- and moderate-income households over the course of a year to collect highly detailed data on how families manage their finances on a day-to-day basis. This research reveals hard-to-see aspects of the financial lives of working Americans, providing new insight for the design of financial services policies, programs and products for a broad range of Americans.
USFD is a joint initiative of NYU Wagner’s Financial Access Initiative (FAI) and the Financial Health Network. Leadership support for USFD is provided by the Ford Foundation and the Citi Foundation, with additional support and guidance from the Omidyar Network.
While much of the income and wealth inequality conversation focuses on what’s happening at the top,The Financial Diariesprovides an unparalleled view of what life is like in the bottom half.
Sponsorship of digital and event support for USFD is provided by Citi Foundation.
In this article from Next Billion, Jennifer Tescher and Tilman Ehrbeck tell us, “The financial fragility of American households is better understood now than it has ever been, and the picture is downright scary. It’s not enough to understand it, we have to act.” Read the full article to learn about the financial challenges facing […]
U.S. Financial Diaries Case study: Amy Cox is a white 34-year-old single mother of two. She lives with her children, Hailey, 9, and Andy, 8, near Cincinnati, OH. A natural caregiver, Amy works at a day care center.
A working paper from the U.S. Financial Diaries on income gains and month-to-month income volatility.
U.S. Financial Diaries: Savings plays a central role in conversations about American household finance. Surveys suggest that few American households save enough for retirement, nor are Americans adequately prepared for emergencies
Standard financial literacy curricula recommends that households should have at least three months of income set aside in emergency savings.
U.S. Financial Diaries Case study: Mateo Valencia, 31, and Lucia Benitez, 30, are an unmarried couple living in Queens with their four year-old son Pablo.
The U.S. Financial Diaries (USFD) is an ambitious research project first-of-its-kind undertaken in the U.S. The project is collecting detailed financial data from more than 200 low- and moderate-income households over the course of a year.
U.S. Financial Diaries Case study: Sandra Young, 52, is an African American woman living in Brooklyn with her grown children: Tyler, 25, and Kayla, 24.
U.S. Financial Diaries Case study: Elena Navarro is a single, 27-year-old woman living outside of San Jose, CA.