By Femme Frugality A lot of times when we write about money, we pretend that our income will look like this: But just as the aging process doesn’t always go the way we want it to, studies show that for most American families, income doesn’t go up in a straight line at a 40 degree…

By Theresa Schmall, Financial Health Network June 27, 2017 was the second annual #FinHealthMatters Day. On this day more than 900 individuals created nearly 10 million Twitter impressions explaining why financial health matters. This message is particularly important because 57% of Americans — approximately 138 million adults — are struggling financially. At Financial Health Network, we see the struggle…

By Rachel Schneider, Financial Health Network When Jonathan Morduch and I started working with the families associated with the US Financial Diaries research — featured in our recently released book, The Financial Diaries — we thought it might be hard to get people to share the intimate details of their financial lives with us. After all, how many of…

An EMERGE Pre-Conference Interview with Speaker Lynnette Khalfani-Cox By Elizabeth Vivirito, Financial Health Network Lynnette Khalfani-Cox We sat down with Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, New York Times best-selling author and CEO/Co-Founder of AskTheMoneyCoach.com, for a candid conversation about why providers should know their customers’ unique financial stories, what works to inspire consumers to act, and the importance…

By Aja McClahanan I’m a child of the 80s and came of age in the 90s. If you don’t know much about that time period, I’ll sum it up for you: the rise pop culture consumerism. Rappers, ball players and other larger-than-life personalities defined success for us in terms of the “bling.” The more diamond-encrusted…

By Steven M. Hughes LET’S REWIND. I’m a freshman in college, hungry for food and new experiences as I’m walking across the library bridge. From one end to the other are tables filled with coupons for free pizza, subs and credit cards (one of these things are not like the others). Shortly after all the…

By Stephanie Jones Have you ever avoided going to the doctor about an ache or pain simply because you were afraid of what the diagnosis might be? That happens with finances too. In fact, that was totally me three years ago. While my husband was in law school, I knew our debt was mounting, but…

By Bobbi Dempsey Growing up in severe poverty, smart financial skills aren’t something you learn. I say that from personal experience. Survival is the main goal, and you do anything necessary just to get your hands on enough food to make it through the day. You have a very negative view of — and relationship with — money, as…

What does financial health mean to me? If only I were presented with that question eighteen years ago when I was a young man entering the United States Army, maybe I wouldn’t have made some of the mistakes I have made in the area of my finances.

By Tai Stewart Ever since I can remember, my dad was always the financial manager in our household. He knew how to support 8 kids and a wife on less than $40,000, and we didn’t lack any basic necessities. As the eldest child, I was the recipient of most of the financial lessons since I…

By Amanda K. Lettmann Disability comes quickly and very unexpectedly. One moment you are healthy, another moment you are having open heart surgery — at least that’s what happened to me. In the early 1990’s, I learned dearly the importance of having sound financial health. At the time I was 29, an avid runner, cyclist, and fitness…

By Jeffrey Riecke, Communications Specialist, CFI This morning I had the luxury of splitting an Uber with my girlfriend for our to-work transportation. Neither she nor I are affluent by United States standards, but I would say we’re relatively financially healthy. Most months, our expenses like rent, food, medical bills, and student loans are low…

By Eric Patrick, BlackMarketExchange Spring 2011. That’s when I graduated from Howard University’s pharmacy school. I felt like I hit the lotto. No more waiting on refund checks, which at the time felt like a million dollars. I was now going to be a licensed pharmacist with a paycheck that was sure to prevent me…

By Toni Husbands, Debt Free Divas As a mother of two very young children, staying healthy is a priority because I want to remain active with them as we all grow older. Helping my children develop healthy lifestyle habits is important so hopefully one day they can pass that on to my grandchildren. I didn’t…

By Ryan Guida, CashMoneyLife We all have financial goals in our lives. Mine have changed through the years, but I can still remember the big ones. Paying off all consumer debt. Getting married. Buying a home. Becoming a father. These were all huge financial milestones. But perhaps the biggest financial leap of faith I ever…

In July our colleagues at Fifth Third Bank shared several examples of how Financial Health Network has affected that organization’s thinking. “We printed out the image of small-dollar credit consumers, taping it by our desks to remind us every day about the people we were doing our work for.” Thank you, Tom, Mark, and Darren,…

By Financial Health Network Consulting A Financial Inclusion Forum Goes Further Nothing makes the consumer experience resonate more than living it first-hand. The Financial Health Network understands this, which is why it created the Consumer Financial Experience (FinX) to offer an in-the-field opportunity that puts participants in consumers’ shoes and has them tackle the challenges…

By Grayson Bell, Debt Roundup Did you know 57% of Americans are struggling financially? Isn’t that a crazy number? What if I pull out percentages and go with about 138 million people. Yes that is MILLION! This information is according to Center for Financial Services Innovation’s Consumer Financial Health Study. While I hate to see…

By Nick True, True Tightwad So, I have a confession to make. I ruined my honeymoon. This is hard to admit since most people don’t know this (not even my mom, who’s reading this for the first time). It’s hard because this story has the potential to paint me in an extremely negative light. But…

By Abigail Perry, I Pick Up Pennies FinCon and Center for Financial Services Innovation partnered up for a contest to have bloggers explain what financial health means to them. Here’s my take on the subject. Most people think of financial health as a state of being. To me, it’s about a conscious journey toward stability….

How a rejection letter and a plate of red velvet cupcakes led me to understanding how #FinHealthMatters. By Betsy Mikel Thank you for your interest in Northwestern University. After careful consideration of your application, I am sorry to inform you we are unable to offer you a place in the class of 2008.* The 18-year-old me…

By Elizabeth Vivirito, Managing Director, Financial Health Network This month we’re introducing a series called “Moments of Impact.” At Financial Health Network we work hard to design our events, content, and experiences with impact at the center of our work. While we have seen notable strides from our members and in the marketplace, we recognize…

By Mel Bondar, brokeGIRLrich I am the world’s laziest runner. I kind of hate it. Sometimes it’s my legs that hate it. Sometimes it’s my lungs. Most of the time though, it’s my mind. My mind really hates running. My mind wants to be at home binge watching Pretty Little Liars and eating chocolate chip…

In case you missed it, June 29 was the first-ever #FinHealthMatters Day. You might be wondering what that’s all about, maybe even why you should care. In a nutshell, it’s this: 57% of Americans — approximately 138 million adults — are struggling financially. If that doesn’t scare you, it should. The struggling majority aren’t who you think: While it’s…