From Insight to Impact: The Next Phase of Financial Health Measurement

As the field of measurement matures, we are refining our pioneering FinHealth Score® framework to meet the needs of a new era.

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By Financial Health Network

Category:

Financial Services, Measurement, Policy
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FinHealth Score

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

From Insight to Impact: The Next Phase of Financial Health Measurement

The Changing Field of Financial Health Measurement

The financial health movement is grounded in the belief that access to financial solutions alone doesn’t improve people’s financial lives. True progress must be measured by actual outcomes: whether people can pay their bills, build savings, weather a shock, access credit, or manage debt. In 2015, the Financial Health Network introduced the FinHealth Score® framework to measure those outcomes, giving researchers and organizations a clear way to assess consumer financial health, evaluate impact, and track change over time.

Since then, the field has matured considerably. What began as a relatively niche idea has evolved into a robust, data-driven movement, highlighting the need to validate our original measurement approach.

In response, our research team embarked on an extensive effort to review and refine our definitions of financial health and the metrics used to assess them. Drawing on academic and industry literature review, researchers, subject matter experts, and practitioners, we reaffirmed the validity of core components of the FinHealth Score while identifying opportunities for improvement.

In this brief, we outline near-term changes to our definitions and survey instrument, as well as forward-looking innovations in financial health measurement.

Key Insights

Explore the full brief for more details on our refreshed approach, ensuring the FinHealth Score remains relevant, meaningful, and actionable for leaders across sectors.

A clearer definition of financial health to inform and guide our body of work, distinguishing financial health as a concept from the specific outcomes that define a Financially Healthy household.

The four-pillar framework remains foundational for financial health measurement. New refinements strengthen how the pillars—Spend, Save, Borrow, and Plan and Protect— connect to measurable outcomes.

The refreshed FinHealth Score improves measurement quality. Revised survey questions boost clarity and generate more objective, actionable responses.

New measurement models expand how organizations assess financial health. Emerging frameworks can help organizations unlock greater value for consumers and stakeholders.

Spotlight

The 4 Pillars of Financial Health

Our analysis reaffirmed the value of the four-pillar financial health framework, while strengthening their connection to financial health outcomes.

Spend	1. Spending relative to income 2. On-time bill payment	Financially Healthy spending means that households are spending within their means—that they have the income or cash flow to support their spending and are able to meet their financial needs and obligations, including paying their bills on time.
Save	3. Liquid savings levels 4. Progress on long-term savings goals	Financially Healthy saving means households are able to build up and maintain short-term liquid savings and make progress towards their long-term savings goals, such as retirement.
Borrow	5. Debt manageability 6. Credit Score	Financially Healthy borrowing means that households are able to manage their debt effectively and have a good or excellent credit score, ensuring that they are able to borrow at reasonable rates when they need to.
Plan and Protect	7. Adequacy of insurance coverage 8. Planning ahead financially	Financially Healthy planning and protection means that households have adequate insurance coverage to protect them in case of emergencies and that they are intentionally planning for the future.

Our Supporter

This work was supported by the Citi Foundation.

The findings, interpretations, and conclusions in this piece are those of the Financial Health Network and do not necessarily represent those of our funders or others who have contributed to this work.

Our Methodology

Building on our literature review and stakeholder conversations, we crafted alternate versions of each indicator question. We then piloted these questions through two tests: with the AmeriSpeak Omnibus panel, run by NORC at the University of Chicago, and with J.D. Power’s Polaris panel, which is fielded monthly.