What We Do / Research
U.S. Financial Diaries
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.
The Financial Diaries
While much of the income and wealth inequality conversation focuses on what’s happening at the top, The Financial Diaries provides an unparalleled view of what life is like in the bottom half.
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Media Inquiries
The U.S. Financial Diaries (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.
Sponsorship of digital and event support for USFD is provided by Citi Foundation.
Explore Common Issues and Challenges
Read the U.S. Financial Diaries Issue Briefs to explore topics illuminated by detailed financial data as well as stories from household members.
Take a Deeper Look at the Financial Lives of American Families
Understand the financial lives of some of that families in the USFD study with Household Profiles.
Financial Diaries
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Amy Cox Household Profile: Living Paycheck to Paycheck
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...
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Working Paper: Income Gains And Month-To-Month Income Volatility
A working paper from the U.S. Financial Diaries on income gains and month-to-month income volatility.
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U.S. Financial Diaries: Savings Horizons
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...
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U.S. Financial Diaries: Emergency Savings
Standard financial literacy curricula recommends that households should have at least three months of income set aside in emergency savings.
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Mateo And Lucia Household Profile: Thriving But Still Vulnerable In The U.S.
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.
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U.S. Financial Diaries: An Invisible Finance Sector – How Households Use Financial Tools of Their Own Making
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...
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Sandra Young Household Profile: Budgeting For A Year With Lumpy Income
U.S. Financial Diaries Case study: Lauren Walker, 29, is a single mother living with her four-year-old son Riley in a rented townhome in a small town in eastern Mississippi....
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Elena Navarro Household Profile: Getting Through A Tough Year
U.S. Financial Diaries Case study: Lauren Walker, 29, is a single mother living with her four-year-old son Riley in a rented townhome in a small town in eastern Mississippi....
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The U.S. Financial Diaries Methodology: The financial lives of low-income Americans
The U.S. Financial Diaries (USFD) is a research study collecting detailed financial data from more than 200 low- and moderate-income households over the course of a year.
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U.S. Financial Diaries – Spikes and Dips: How Income Uncertainty Affects Households
When asked whether “financial stability” or “moving up the income ladder” is more important, 77% of the participants in the U.S. Financial Diaries (USFD) research study chose “financial stability.”
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