Asset Building Program: Recent and Upcoming Events

Advancing Economic Mobility Through Savings

Kirsten Gilbert — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
11/19/2009 - 1:00pm

"This is going to be a different recovery than the past, because Americans are going to have to save more." -Tim Geithner, US Secretary of the Treasury Saving is a key to economic mobility as well as economic recovery. Despite the critical importance of savings, most Americans, especially those with low incomes, are not saving enough. Federal policy encourages saving for the wealthy, but for low-income Americans saving is often discouraged and the path to self-sufficiency is made more difficult.

Behavioral Economics and Policy Meeting

Kirsten Gilbert — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/28/2009 - 9:00am

New, Safe and Affordable Credit Options for America's Underbanked

Kirsten Gilbert — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/23/2009 - 8:00am

On behalf of the Pew Charitable Trusts, New America Foundation, and the Center for Financial Services Innovation, it is our pleasure to invite you to attend a jointly sponsored symposium on new avenues to credit for consumers and small businesses. This event, set for October 23, 2009 at the Capitol, will focus on expanding access to small dollar loans for the underserved and on innovative models for building credit and financing domestic micro-enterprise. Leaders in Congress, the administration, and industry… more

Savings as a Tool for International Development

Kirsten Gilbert — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/15/2009 - 12:15pm

Can savings-led programs ensure poverty reduction? Policymakers, researchers and development practitioners around the world are examining new products and methods for saving in order to build assets at the bottom of the pyramid. The experience with Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) and other matched savings programs, from the US to Uganda, have successfully benefitted the poor and brought them into the formal financial system.

Risky Business

Kirsten Gilbert — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/15/2009 - 8:00am

Long before the complete meltdown of the financial industry last fall, Senator Byron Dorgan warned us about the risks posed by one of the key ingredients in that catastrophe: the complex financial packages known as derivatives. In a Washington Monthly cover story, "Very Risky Business" (October 1994), the North Dakota Democrat predicted with uncanny precision what actually happened in September 2008 -- the

CA EVENT: Updating California's Poverty Measure

Elizabeth Wu — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:41:00 -0400

A New America Event
10/14/2009 - 12:00pm

The California Asset Building program hosted a policy roundtable discussion Wednesday October 14 in the State Capitol on updating the antiquated and misleading way we measure poverty. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Director of Poverty Research, Mark Levitan, led Assembly and Senate staff in the in-depth discussion (view his presentation here). Last year, New York City enacted an updated and improved poverty measure based on recommendations made by the National Academy of Sciences.

Shining a Light on “Shadow” Banking

Kirsten Gilbert — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/18/2009 - 9:30am

Over 100 million individuals in the U.S. are underbanked -- they can not access or choose not to use traditional bank accounts and financial services. Instead, they use alternative financial services, such as check cashing services, prepaid cards, small dollar loans, remittances, and other nonbank services to meet their everyday financial needs. These alternative financial services, which may or may not be more costly than those offered by a traditional bank, are often preferable for consumers who want convenient, transparent, and easily accessible financial options.

Updating Poverty

Stephanie Gunter — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:45:00 -0400

A New America Event
09/08/2009 - 12:15pm

Overcoming Account Opening Impediments to the Bank Secrecy Act

Erin Drankoski — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
08/18/2009 - 8:30am

The New America Foundation and Appleseed hosted a timely roundtable discussion on a proposed policy aimed at clearing the path for opening basic bank accounts for immigrants and those who are new to the financial system. Participants included counsel and compliance officers of banks, prepaid firms and financial institution processors, representatives of nonprofits serving immigrant families, delegates from the Mexican Embassy and public policy experts.

CA EVENT: Women & Wealth

Elizabeth Wu — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
07/17/2009 - 12:00pm

Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña opened the Women and Wealth Asset Policy Forum event, sponsored by the New America Foundation's Asset Building Program in partnership with the California Women's Legislative Caucus, the California Commission on the Status of Women, and the California Women's Agenda.

Savings, Responsibility, and Opportunity in America

Stephanie Gunter — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:45:00 -0400

A New America Event
06/19/2009 - 12:15pm

When President Clinton signed the welfare reform bill in 1996, he changed the moral debate over poverty by linking benefits to work. However, an opportunity was missed to create a new type of safety net that recognized not just the importance of income but having access to a stock of savings and assets as well. While much attention has been focused on income volatility, severe fluctuations in wealth and low asset holdings undermine the potential for economic mobility.

Gateways to Global Poverty Reduction and Financial Inclusion

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:12:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/29/2009 - 9:30am

The Battle for the Soul of South Africa

Stephanie Gunter — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/22/2009 - 9:00am

Creating a Save-and-Invest Economy at Tax Time

Cecille Isidro — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 05:01:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/21/2009 - 1:00pm

President Obama recently called for a new era in the American economy--an era where Americans save and invest, rather than borrow and spend. Now that the 2008 tax season has come to a close--with over three-quarters of Americans receiving federal refunds averaging more than $2,700--how can families best save and invest their precious funds?

The Next Progressive Era

Cecille Isidro — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 03:45:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/14/2009 - 12:15pm

A discussion with Authors Phillip Longman and Ray Boshara, with Commentary by Mark Schmitt and Reihan Salam.

Poverty's New Challenges, New Alliances, and New Ideas

Stephanie Gunter — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
04/03/2009 - 10:00am

New ideas and new alliances--especially and most recently, The Poverty Forum--offer hope and a fresh blueprint for bi-partisan action to combat poverty amidst a deepening recession which threatens to push millions of Americans into, or further into, poverty. Other new ideas, new reports, and new alliances have emerged as well. The recently enacted recovery package includes significant help for struggling families, but does it go far enough? What other policies must we consider? And what are the politics of reducing poverty and expanding opportunity… more

CA EVENT: Banking on Opportunity

Elizabeth Wu — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:30:00 -0400

A New America Event
03/24/2009 - 11:30am

Too many Angelenos lack a basic financial tool – a bank account. Without one they pay more to cash their paychecks, pay their bills, and don't have a safe place to keep their money. And a bank account is the first step onto the ladder of affordable financial services people need throughout their lives. Without one, it’s harder to build credit and get well-priced car loans and mortgages – the exact financial tools needed to plan ahead and climb… more

CA EVENT: California Working Families Policy Summit 2009

Elizabeth Wu — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 08:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
01/13/2009 - 8:00am

Please join us on January 13, 2009, for the sixth California Working Families Policy Summit, hosted by the California Center for Research on Women and Families for a stimulating day of discussion and debate about the needs and aspirations of California's working families.

CA EVENT: American Dream 2.0

Communications — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
12/17/2008 - 12:00pm

On Wednesday, December 17th, the Bipartisan Asset Policy Forum hosted American Dream 2.0: Safe & Sound First-Time Homeownership Strategies for California Working Families, a dynamic lunchtime discussion on how public policy can encourage wealth-building in California to bring homeownership opportunities into reach for working families across our state.

Responsible Homeownership

Stephanie Gunter — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:00:00 -0500

A New America Event
12/17/2008 - 9:00am

As 2008 draws to a close, over 2 million families have already lost their homes or are facing foreclosure. A protracted homeownership crisis will harm both families and entire communities alike and threatens to weaken an already besieged national economy. Yet as policymakers agree to spend billions of dollars to shock the economy back to life, they seem less committed to searching for an effective policy response to address the foreclosure storm and resurrect a responsible housing finance system.