Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder

Katherine Lucas McKay

Principal Researcher, Insights and Evidence, Financial Security Program

Katherine Lucas McKay is the Principal Researcher at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, where they lead research on topics including net worth, consumer debt and student loans, inclusive savings and ownership strategies, and housing stability. Katherine was previously the Associate Director of Government Affairs at Prosperity Now, where they led the organization’s policy work on homeownership, entrepreneurship, and consumer financial protection. They have also held positions at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and Georgetown University. 

Katherine holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School of Public Policy and Information Systems and a BA from Wellesley College. They serve on the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board of Montgomery County, Maryland, which they chaired from September 2022 to June 2024. Katherine’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Vox, CNN, CNBC, Greater Greater Washington, and other media outlets.

Authored by Katherine:

Billions at Risk: What Drives Wealth Loss for Black Families
Publications

Billions at Risk: What Drives Wealth Loss for Black Families

Though Black Americans have experienced greater economic opportunities, many still face wealth loss. This report examines historical events and current trends to develop broad estimates of the amount of Black-owned assets at risk in home equity, retirement savings, and wealth held in businesses they own.

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Publications

Innovations to Accelerate Rural Wealth Building  

Aspen FSP’s essential wealth metric is a new benchmark that measures how much wealth families need not just to survive, but to thrive. 

Post-it notes cover a wall during a brainstorm activity
Publications

Families Need Wealth. But How Much Is Essential?

Attaining a baseline of security, mobility, and well-being requires wealth. But exactly how much is needed? This brief aims to offer a path toward greater empirical understanding of what constitutes essential wealth and how to measure it.

Wealth Building at Work: How Canary’s Emergency Relief Fund Helps Workers Maintain Assets and Avoid Debt
Publications

Wealth Building at Work: How Canary’s Emergency Relief Fund Helps Workers Maintain Assets and Avoid Debt

Aspen FSP partnered with Canary, a provider of employee emergency relief funds, to explore how workers used this workplace offering when faced with financial emergencies, as well as how it impacted their financial security and experiences at work.

4 Models for Investing in Inclusively Owned Commercial Real Estate
Publications

4 Models for Investing in Inclusively Owned Commercial Real Estate

Four case studies that take a deep dive into four distinctive CRE Models pioneered by our cohort.