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
Aspen Institute
Publications
Our Collective Call to Action: Next Steps to a More Inclusive Financial System
Our Collective Call to Action: Next Steps to a More Inclusive Financial System follows Aspen FSP’s report, The State of Inclusion in the U.S. Financial System: Benchmarking Progress, Gaps, and Disparities and outlines five priority issues that, if addressed, could result in a more inclusive financial system that would drive us toward greater household financial stability, resilience, and financial security. By identifying and describing the key priority issues and the levers that can be brought to bear to address these issues, this report equips changemakers with insights and expert guidance to chart a collective course to build a more inclusive financial system. Prioritizing these issue areas would unlock real change to household outcomes, particularly household financial stability, resilience, wealth, and ultimately financial well-being and long-term financial security.
This report is a call to action across public, private, and social sectors—facilitated by a National Strategy and outlines what it would take to make concerted progress on these priority issues to improve household financial security and build a stronger, more inclusive economy for all. Policymakers can use this report to advocate for these priority issues in developing the United States’ inaugural National Strategy for an Inclusive Financial System. Private and social sector leaders can use this document as a resource to advise and engage with policymakers as we collectively work together to bring a national financial inclusion strategy to life for U.S. households.
The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program is grateful to Wells Fargo and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth for their support and to the participants of the Working Group on Inclusive Finance, whose names are listed in the appendix of the report.
Most households experience at least one financial shock in a given year, but there are few comprehensive solutions to help them. How can we solve this persistent challenge?
The Strategy outlines opportunities to improve benefits delivery, particularly through government provided or purchased financial products and services.
This case study takes lessons from the legal field’s efforts to empower Native youth to learn how we can build a financial sector that better serves diverse communities.
