Despite America’s reputation as the land of opportunity, more than 16 million (1 in 5) American children live below the poverty line. To break the cycle of poverty, we must find ways to intervene early and adopt a two-generation approach that helps both parents and children excel, rather than...

One of the core findings of the US Financial Diaries is the prevalence of income volatility. On average, our households experience six months when income is 20% above or below their typical monthly income. In theory, households should react to volatile incomes by building up savings in months where...

The US Financial Diaries track the finances of a small sample of low and moderate-income households over a year. The households faced substantial swings in income from month to month. On average, they experienced 2.5 months when income fell more than 25 percent below average, and 2.6 months when...