Who We Are

The Initiative on Financial Security at the Aspen Institute is the nation’s leading policy program that uses a business-driven approach to create smart solutions that help Americans save, invest and own.

What We Believe
• America’s asset crisis threatens the strength of our economy and the potential of our people.
• The opportunity to save, invest and own is the foundation of the American dream.
• Creating a savings society will grow the economy and help all Americans succeed.

How We Make a Difference
• Bi-partisan Leadership: We lead a bi-partisan team of top business executives, financial and policy experts, elected officials and community leaders to identify market-based strategies that promote lifelong savings and financial success.

• Pragmatic Approach: We combine real-world business analysis with public policy ideas to strengthen the economy and help families achieve the American dream.

• Smart Solutions: From establishing a savings account for every child at birth to creating public and private matching programs for retirement, we develop new policies and product recommendations to help more Americans finance college, own homes, start businesses and plan for retirement.

Why It Matters
Nearly half of working Americans do not own any type of personal retirement account, and current federal savings policies don’t reach one in three American taxpayers. Helping more Americans invest in assets like homes, education and savings is a smart, safe strategy for long-term economic growth and individual success. Savings helps spark entrepreneurship, increase the GDP, build the middle class and create jobs for our future. 

History
The Initiative on Financial Security is a program of the Aspen Institute, which has a 50-year history of visionary thinking and bi-partisan leadership. IFS was founded in 2003 in response to the growing asset crisis in the United States. Led by economic development expert Lisa Mensah, IFS is supported by the Ford Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Learn More: For more information about IFS, visit www.aspeninstitute.org/ifs, call 212-895-8070 or email ifsinfo@aspeninstitute.org.