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.
We know saving is important – but our assumptions about why may be wrong. A new report from Aspen Financial Security Program and members of the Consumer Insights Collaborative shows that, for many, the value in having savings available goes beyond being able to cover one-time emergency expenses.
This report illustrates the importance of the ongoing act of building, using, and replenishing savings – or “the cycle of savings” – allowing people to protect themselves against the immediate economic impacts of a pandemic, invest in family well-being, and stay on track for their longer -term goals.
The report also highlights opportunities for key actors to build products that enable people to make savings a habit.
This paper was also developed as part of the Global Inclusive Growth Partnership, a collaboration between the Aspen Institute and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, along with generous support from the BlackRock Charitable Fund, JPMorgan Chase & Co., MetLife Foundation, The Prudential Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Shared language is a key starting point for organizations looking to adopt person-centered practices. This resource offers a set of common terms to guide how we talk person-centered work.
This resource outlines four phases of person-centered work, illuminating key features of each phase. Designed to be used by a wide range of leaders, this tool can support internal assessment, knowledge building, and strategic planning.
Leveraging a first-of-its-kind database, the Workers’ Wealth Lab uses retirement plan data to identify the tools and design features that can improve our retirement savings system. Read the report from the 2025 Lab.
Since 2021, Aspen FSP and our Community Advisory Group have worked to forefront lived experience of financial insecurity across our research and convenings. Learn how in this reflection by Riani Carr.
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.
Aspen FSP partnered with SecureSave, a provider of workplace emergency savings accounts (ESAs), to survey 274 SecureSave users about their financial well-being and catalyze a conversation around ESAs.
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?
