The Case for Stimulus: New Pulse Data Show Stimulus Payments Provided Valuable Lifeline to Unemployed Workers
By Thea Garon, Senior Director, Necati Celik, Associate and Andrew Dunn, Manager, Financial Health Network Since mid-March, the United States has lost more than 21 million jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to help people get by, the Treasury Department began distributing recovery rebates, or “stimulus payments,” on April 11 as part of the…
Beyond Messaging: Financial Health Is No Longer a Nice-To-Have
We’ve long known from research and practice about the business case for advancing financial health. The coronavirus escalated the already precarious state of financial health of Americans everywhere and Financial Health Network Members took notice.
The Financial Lives of Older Adults in the Era of COVID-19
By Jacquelyn Reineke, Manager and Heidi Johnson, Director, Financial Health Network There is no denying that the COVID-19 crisis has turned the world upside down. Everyone has had to deal with daily changes to their routines and come to terms with a new normal, but vulnerable populations — in particular, aging Americans — have faced the most devastating consequences…
How Insurance Must Evolve to Serve Customers in Crisis
By Sarah Parker, Senior Director, Financial Health Network In the midst of the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are realizing that insurance is not a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have. Life insurance carriers report a marked increase in interest from new customers who want to purchase policies, as people recognize the importance…
New Pulse Data: Those Who Need COVID-19 Stimulus Most Are the Last to Get It
By David Silberman, Senior Advisor, Financial Health Network The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread economic dislocation. Tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs, at least temporarily, and millions more have seen their hours drastically cut. Those job and wage losses have fallen disproportionately on low-wage workers, especially blacks and Latinos, who are concentrated…
Measuring Financial Health in the Middle of a Pandemic
To measure the financial health of customers amid the economic devastation of COVID-19, organizations can leverage their own existing data and evaluate the rate of change in these metrics over time.
Reopening the Workplace with an Eye on Financial Health
When COVID-19 hit our economy, workplaces were focused on reacting and responding (often in real time) to address and mitigate the fallout to their business and workforce. The toll on both has been substantial. Every workplace and every worker has been impacted, and industries like retail and hospitality and low- and moderate-income workers have borne […]
Over 33 Million Americans Lost Their Job During the Pandemic
Optimism is high among workers that they can return to their pre-pandemic jobs, but economists warn over 40 percent of job losses could become permanent. Read the Article >>
Dear Bankers: Don’t Return to Your Old, Shareholder-First Ways
Millions of Americans have already received their economic relief payment from the government, and millions more will be receiving it in the coming weeks, in an effort to stave off severe financial woes amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read the Article >>
Poll: Half Of Americans Financially Affected By Coronavirus
Half the country has been personally economically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and overwhelming numbers of Americans do not think schools, restaurants or sporting events with large crowds should reopen until there is further testing, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll. Read the Article >>
Bearing the Brunt of COVID-19: Fears and Challenges of Financially Vulnerable Americans
By Thea Garon, Senior Director and Andrew Dunn, Manager, Financial Health Network The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout are likely to have the largest impact on those who are already struggling financially. Survey data from the University of Southern California and the U.S. Financial Health Pulse show that Financially Vulnerable Americans believe they are…
Strengthening the Student Safety Net During COVID-19
Even before the pandemic, the lives of financially struggling students were overwhelmingly complex. For financially vulnerable students, a disruption this large can have devastating long-term impacts, including failure to re-enroll once the pandemic ends.