LIVESTREAM: The Hidden Financial Lives of Working Americans 

On Wednesday, December 3, researchers and national experts will share and discuss early findings and data from the U.S. Financial Diaries project, a first-of-its-kind study into how working Americans make ends meet.  Unpredictability—in income and expenses—creates serious financial challenges for many households.  Yet these challenges get little attention in national conversations driven by annual data on economic mobility and employment.

The U.S. Financial Diaries (USFD) project seeks to change those conversations by shedding new light on how American families get by, week to week.  Over the course of a year, USFD researchers tracked every dollar earned, spent, borrowed, saved, and shared by 235 low- and moderate-income households in five states.  At the December 3 event, you will have first access to USFD findings, which highlight:

• The surprising amount of volatility in incomes from month-to-month.
• The hidden systems that families use to cope with unexpected expenses and fluctuating incomes.
• How households use traditional and alternative financial services and strategies.
• The intersection of finance with health, transportation, housing, and benefits

MODERATOR:

• Danielle Kurtzleben, business and economic correspondent, Vox.com

SPEAKERS:

• Jonathan Morduch, professor of public policy and economics, NYU-Wagner’s Financial Access Initiative
• Rachel Schneider, senior vice president, Center for Financial Services Innovation
• Bill Bynum, president, Hope Credit Union
• Raj Date, managing partner, Fenway Summer
• Ellen Seidman, senior fellow, Urban Institute