About
Our mission is to improve financial health for all.
The Financial Health Network is a trusted resource for business leaders, policymakers, and innovators united in a mission to improve the financial health of their customers, employees, and communities. We envision a future where all people, especially the most vulnerable, have the financial systems they need to be resilient and thrive.
Our Core Beliefs
- Financial health should be accessible to all. Opportunities to build resilience and thrive should be inclusive of everyone, including communities that have historically been marginalized.
- Improved financial health is good for business. Financially healthy customers offer new opportunities for increased engagement, loyalty, and long-term revenue streams. Thriving employees result in better productivity and increased retention.
- Meaningful improvements in financial health require an integrated, cross-sector approach. A productive financial health network requires stakeholders across industries, including financial institutions, service providers, technology innovators, policy influencers, and nonprofits.
- Financial health innovation isn’t just about technology. It takes many forms, including emerging technologies like AI and machine learning, dynamic partnerships between nonprofits and the private sector, and new ways to address policy and regulation.
- Deep consumer insights are central to providing better financial health offerings. Measuring what works to improve the financial health of customers, employees, and communities allows organizations to build solutions that meet customer needs and show impact over time.
How We Work
- Research and analysis. We conduct and share insights to better understand both the financial health challenges of low- to moderate-income people and the market opportunity to serve them successfully.
- Measurement tools. We provide tools and benchmarks to help organizations measure, manage, and improve the financial health of their stakeholders, and encourage action to improve results over time.
- Advisory services. We provide targeted engagement to organizations to help them design their financial health businesses.
- Innovation support. We support and invest in innovation that helps drive scalable impact, from fintech startups to partnerships and collaborations.
- Membership services. We offer customized support and connections to forward-thinking organizations that are developing financial health solutions.
Our Core Values
Impact
- We work on behalf of our core beliefs and recognize the potential impact of our work on millions of people.
- We thoughtfully measure the success of our work and seek constant improvement.
Innovation
- We apply fresh approaches and new thinking when executing our work.
- We encourage strategic, thoughtful risk-taking.
- We challenge assumptions and seek out new ideas.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- We strive to sustain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment that allows all our employees to feel welcome, safe, heard, and valued.
Excellence
- We are results-driven, highly productive, and move decisively.
- We actively seek feedback.
- We demand the best from ourselves and our colleagues and hold ourselves accountable.
- We celebrate success – and then set the bar higher.
Directness
- We are authentic, honest, and communicate openly.
Passion
- We are personally invested in the success of the Financial Health Network and the achievement of its mission.
A History of Impact.
Founded in 2004 as the Center for Financial Services Innovation, we initially set out to catalyze innovation to better serve people who were falling through the cracks of the traditional banking system. Over the years, we have launched groundbreaking research initiatives and built a network to deliver thought leadership, consulting, and innovation support to like-minded partners and providers. We have advised some of the largest brands in the financial services industry on innovative products and strategy development, ultimately improving the lives of millions of Americans.
Membership
- 200 million Americans served by our 160+ Members
- Of these, 80 million are low- to moderate-income consumers
- Over 20 million consumers served by 40 2019 Financial Health Leaders
- Our Members have measured the financial health of over 5 million consumers
Thought Leadership
- $4.1 million in funding raised since 2014
- 70 research publications
- Over 70 events hosted, including our annual EMERGE: Financial Health Forum conference
- Over 500,000 media mentions and 6 million impressions for the term “financial health” since 2014
Innovation
- Since 2015, 39 companies selected to participate in the Financial Solutions Lab from over 1,000 applicants
- Winners raised an additional $130 million in follow-on investments
- Participants have saved more than $1 billion for 4 million consumers, many of them low- to moderate-income
Consulting
- 93 engagements since 2014
- 900 people have participated in our FinX empathy-building exercise
- 4.6 out of 5 overall satisfaction reported by consulting clients in the last 12 months
Our Brand Story
In 2019, the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) became the Financial Health Network to better reflect our mission of improving financial health for all. Hear more about our new brand from President and CEO Jennifer Tescher:
Why did we change our name?
CFSI was founded in 2004 to shine a spotlight on the needs of millions of unbanked and underbanked Americans and to leverage new technologies to increase their access to financial services. We believed that access was the biggest barrier to financial success, and through our research we helped financial services companies better understand the opportunity to help underserved consumers.
A lot has changed over the last 15 years – the explosion of technology, the financial crisis, and the Great Recession – and our research exposed a deeper level of nuance in peoples’ lives, choices, and goals. We found that even those with traditional banking relationships faced financial challenges, and that millions of people were struggling with spending, saving, borrowing, and planning. We came to understand that the biggest obstacle was no longer access; it was a lack of financial health.
As a result, CFSI broadened its mission to improving financial health for all – first with a focus on financial services providers, and over time, with businesses and organizations across the marketplace. We changed our name to signal this expansion and better reflect our mission to create a financial health ecosystem.
How did we decide on the Financial Health Network?
We believe this name best represents the breadth of our work as the leading authority on financial health. While financial services and innovation remain core to our work, we needed a name to better reflect our integrated network of leaders across industries and disciplines, all working together to improve consumer financial health.
Are we still focused on financial services?
Yes. We still believe that financial services providers have significant potential for large-scale impact on consumer financial health. However, we also believe that other sectors have a critical role to play in improving financial health, and can benefit from collaborating with other industry leaders to learn about, deploy, and share best practices.
What, if anything, is changing about our work?
We believe that diversifying our network will enrich the Member experience, amplify our mission, and yield far greater impact. The nature of our work will remain largely unchanged, but it will grow exponentially in terms of scope and scale as we engage more deeply with industries beyond financial services. We will still conduct the kinds of research and consumer studies that have formed our deep foundation of consumer understanding. We will continue to offer membership services with access to research, networking opportunities, and guidance. We will continue to support innovation, from technology to partnerships and collaborations, to advance financial health impact.
How do we define financial health?
We believe that financial health comes about when an individual’s daily financial systems helps them build resilience and pursue opportunities over time. For individuals and households, financial health can lead to greater physical health, job and housing stability, educational success, and reduced overall stress. For businesses, financially healthy customers drive new opportunities for increased engagement, loyalty, and long-term revenue. Lasting financial health also has a positive macroeconomic impact on communities at the local, regional, and national levels.
What does it mean to be a Member of the Financial Health Network?
Becoming a Financial Health Member means that your organization is taking the next step in improving the financial health of its customers, employees, and communities. Our 160+ Member organizations, including financial institutions, service providers, technology innovators, nonprofits, and others, have access to industry-leading research, peer-to-peer best practices, and real-time collaboration on topics of shared interest. Together, these organizations reach over 200 million Americans, 80 million of whom are low- to moderate-income, with innovative products and services that pave the way for financial health. Membership is invitation-only, so if you are interested in learning more, please contact us.
Do you have to be a Member to engage with us?
No. Much of our research and resources are available to anyone. We also host a number of webinars throughout the year, and our annual financial health conference, EMERGE, is open to all. Our newsletter and blog provide regular perspectives and links to new material throughout the year, and we encourage you to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
For Partners and Funders
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