What do superheroes and mentors, financial calculators and online courses have in common? Each is a financial wellness tool developed by Visa, Staples Foundation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Operation Hope to teach youths financial literacy.
Financial wellness is the ability to use knowledge and skills to manage financial resources effectively for
As more and more American workers reflect on their ability to secure a financially comfortable retirement, the mismatch between when they think they will retire and when they actually do provokes both concern and reflection. Retirement ages have undoubtedly increased over the past decade — a 2015 analysis by the Centre for Retirement Research at
Money makes the world go ’round. And because so much of what we all do revolves around money — making it, spending it, saving it and investing it — understanding how money works and being financially literate is important.
Financial literacy describes an individual’s ability to understand how to manage money. It measures how an individual
Across the United States, the need for better financial responsibility is well-documented. On average, Americans spend too much, save too little and experience a great deal of stress over money. This stress negatively impacts family, performance at work, and nearly every other aspect of day-to-day life.
While there is a push for schools to better educate
Two recent articles have summarized research in fields that seem unrelated: the effect of money on happiness and the efficacy of pain in creating social bonds. As a thought experiment, I would like to consider these two fields in relation to one another, and in relation to a society increasingly divided into haves and have
Sweden met the age-old problem of prostitution with a new approach fifteen years ago using simple economics: target demand (buyers) rather than supply (sellers). This means that the fines and arrests are directed at those buying instead of selling sexual services. Restricting demand in this way subsequently lowers supply. Sweden went from having 2,500 prostitutes
The holiday season is the perfect time to be thankful for all the good in our lives. For those living in the United States or other wealthy countries, most of the necessities of life are accessible to us and even many of our wants are satisfied. Some opportunities are so available that we take them
With an exponential increase in the ability to gather, store, access and analyse data, our societies have entered a new phase of “self-expression”, feedbacks, and decision making capabilities. From dearth to an unending torrent of data, the march has been exceedingly swift. In fact we are submerged in digital networks, consuming and creating data at
Going back a century, there existed a great inequality between the sexes with women not allowed in many professions and voting rights only held by men. Today much of this inequality must still be addressed in the world, but in the U.S. great strides have been made.
During World War II, around 16 million Americans, mostly
This story is about two Mexican citizens who came from two very different economic sides of their society. Yet, their stories converge in that they believed they could achieve a better life by moving north.
Jose was a peasant living in the state of Tamaulipas. A few years ago, a drought ruined his crop. Moreover, he
The difficulty of life in poverty is a prevalent issue that has garnered continuous attention as the world continues on its path of globalization. However, the finer details of the lives of the very poor often escape our attention. A greater understanding of what life is like in extreme poverty allows us to more effectively
We need to understand the ways that economic stratification in our society works and we need to blur the lines that separate us. This will require effort and a challenge of cultural norms. But we all can participate in this effort, regardless of our economic standing.
A family once invited a friend of mine over to
As the recession climaxed in 2011, unemployment in the United States peaked at 9.8%. It seems that better days are now ahead of us with an unemployment rate below 6 percent and tens of thousands of jobs being added to the economy weekly. While many of us are catching the strong economic wave bringing us
According to 2012 data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census, about 26 percent of families are headed by single mothers. What is more, the data show that 47 percent of children are born to unmarried women.
Clearly, family structures are changing and a woman’s role in our society is also transforming. It is no secret
Mexico was a relatively peaceful country before it became a drug-related war zone, where executions, kidnappings, extortions and beheadings became normal in some cities. Although it is true that many drug lords were arrested and many tons of narcotics were seized during the drug war, more than 100,000 Mexicans died during this time, and cartels
Introduction and definition of a key term:
Filene Research Institute (Filene) has engaged and worked with Progress Through Business (Progress) on several very successful projects. It was thought that, with our experience with tax preparation and financial education programs, a plan of action could be developed jointly to serve those eligible for the Savers’ Credit1. Since
In the past 25 years, over 2 billion people have gained access to improved sources of drinking water. Earlier this year, the World Health Organization announced the Millennium Development Goals for water had already been reached. The efforts of nonprofits, private businesses and governments are to be lauded for this great success.
Although, as a whole,
John Hoffmire, PhD Director of the Center on Business and Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin School of Business, Chairman, Progress Through Business
Thomas Harms, Director, Progress Through Business
Copyright © 2009 by Filene Research Institute. All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-1-932795-58-5
Printed in U.S.A.
Progress is the constant replacing of the best there is with something still better!— Edward
I know that many will say: “But the choice is not whether wealth should be taxed or given way.” Stay with me for a few paragraphs.
In 2006, Warren Buffet made the decision to gradually give away all of his Berkshire Hathaway stock, amounting to billions of dollars. Buffet says, “More than 99 percent of my
The New Year is here and of course that means it’s time to be concerned about paying income tax. And once again help is being offered in Madison, Wisconsin to low and moderate-income workers.
Stephanie Thompson, a former Vista volunteer with Progress Through Business is coordinating our free tax help program in Madison in her new
