In Their Words: What Older Adults Struggling Financially Need
Despite the recent stimulus, increased vaccinations, and gathering momentum of reopenings across the country, millions are still struggling with their financial health. Ongoing economic uncertainty, job loss, and physical health concerns have caused many to shift financial priorities just to stay afloat. In the Financial Health Network’s latest…
Financial Wellness for Employees: Insights from Five Fintechs
Employer-channel fintechs play an increasingly crucial role in supporting employees’ financial health through products like low-cost loans, and financial coaching. The Financial Solutions Lab partnered with the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis to examine the uptake, usage, and impact of five companies: Brightside, HoneyBee, Manifest, MedPut, and Onward.
The GameStop Stock Frenzy Is Turning Into A Cautionary Tale For Fintech
When a crusading group of retail traders decided last week to bid up the price of GameStop GME shares, the target was Wall Street. Empowered by Reddit and the commission-free trades of Robinhood’s online trading app, they succeeded in putting the squeeze on hedge funds that had shorted GameStop. Read the full article on Forbes […]
Fintech Innovation Leader Joins the Financial Health Network
Hannah brings a passion for financial health and knowledge of startups, nonprofits, financial services, and the fintech ecosystem at large. She will be responsible for the strategic direction of our Innovation practice, including the Financial Solutions Lab.
It’s the Organizational Siloes, Not Just the IT Stacks, that Are Sidelining Innovation
Since consumers clearly want the personal finance tools developed by fintechs and other innovators, why are banks and credit unions not offering them widely? The core challenge is to get fintech apps to talk with banks’ existing technology stacks and build a shared business case across the organization.
Financial Solutions Lab Announcements
Fintech has a powerful role to play in solving financial health challenges in a more inclusive way.
Fintech for All: Closing the Generation Gap in a COVID-19 World
For older generations, who face the greatest health risks from COVID-19, the need to shift their financial management systems online is critical, but several key barriers deter older adults from adopting fintech products and services.
Restoring Lost Tools, Reframing “Consumer Choice”
How do we open up our industry’s mindset and encourage banks to restore choice to consumers who want to retake control over their own financial behavior? I have two modest proposals for banks and credit unions to adopt the retronovations as part of their account offerings.
Something Old, Something New
The features of the financial services landscape that have brought today’s consumers convenience, reduced friction, and easily accessed revolving credit have now been with us for so long that we view them as fixed infrastructure. These gains have been accompanied by a loss of some of the tools and habits of mind that helped the grandparents and great-grandparents of today’s Millennials make it through two world wars and the Great Depression.
Deep Impact Through Collaborative Design
By Tanya Ladha, Director, Financial Health Network Financial technology companies, or fintechs, have altered consumer’s approach to their financial lives and financial health. Whether someone wants to save more, budget better, track their spending, or all of the above, there are many apps to support those efforts. Fintech companies can reach consumers anywhere, anytime, with…
Scaling Innovative Solutions to Improve Financial Health: The Financial Solutions Lab
Despite a strong economy and low unemployment, the U.S. Financial Health Pulse shows more than half of Americans are struggling to pay their bills, save and remain financially stable. The problem is most acute for low-income individuals. Five years ago, the Financial Health Network launched the Financial Solutions Lab (FinLab) in partnership with JPMorgan Chase…
Financial Retronovation #2: Resurrecting the check register…with an AI assist
Imagine going to your smart phone to view your checking balance and seeing two numbers instead of one. The first number is the traditional available balance. The second is an estimate –more often than not, a smaller number — that projects what your balance will be one, two or three days from now.