Poor Finances:
Assets and Low-Income Households

Principal Investigators:
Signe-Mary McKernan and Michael Sherraden
The Urban Institute

September 2007

This project is available on the Internet at:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/07/PoorFinances/

How to obtain printed copies of reports

Overview

Poor Finances is a series of reports on poverty, asset building, and social policy. The purpose of the series is to assess the nascent state of knowledge and policy development and to synthesize recent progress in these areas. America has a longstanding history of promoting ownership, and new opportunities for people to save will likely increase the number of individuals and families able to build assets and improve the economic security of all Americans. Greater inclusivity and accessibility of traditional approaches to expanding ownership may make it easier for lower and middle income families to save. While the focus of this series of reports is on asset accumulation and asset-based policies for low-income individuals and families, the conceptual frameworks developed are not limited to low-income populations. This broad approach helps to identify the overall critical issues that relate to asset holding for all populations.

Introduction to the Series

Available Reports in the Series:

• The Effects of Welfare and IDA Program Rules on the Asset Holdings of Low-Income Families, September 2007.
  This report examines the effects of a comprehensive set of 13 welfare, food stamp, individual development account (IDA), earned income tax credit (EITC), and minimum wage program rules on the asset holdings of low-education, single mothers and families. (Low-education was used as a proxy for low-income, to address fluctuations in income over time.) More specifically, this original analysis of extant data examines the effects of varying asset limits across state TANF programs, treatment of different types of assets, and state efforts to encourage asset accumulation among TANF recipients.
• Assessing Asset Data on Low-Income Households:  Current Availability and Options for Improvement, September 2007.
  This report identifies three data sets as the most reliable and informative data sources for understanding low-income households' assets and liabilities:  the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The report also details the limitations of these data sets and provides options for improving asset data sources and collection methods. In doing so, the report provides a framework for refining the primary sources of data necessary to pursuing future research in the assets field.
• The Balance Sheets of Low-Income Households: What We Know about Their Assets and Liabilities, November 2007.
  This report synthesizes current research and other available information on the assets and liabilities of low-income households into a variety of portraits. These data allow practitioners and researchers to begin to form a comprehensive representation of the balance sheets of low-income households and sets the stage for future research and policy discussion around the finances of low-income households.
• Determinants of Asset Building, March 2008.
  This report provides a policy-oriented conceptual framework that has the potential to explain saving and asset accumulation across the entire population and to account for the low levels of saving and asset accumulation in the low-income population. The report also reviews empirical evidence that supports or challenges this framework.

How to Obtain a Printed Copy

To obtain a printed copy of any of the above reports, send the title and your mailing information to:

You may also just print the PDF version.

Where to?

Top of Page

Home Pages:
Human Services Policy (HSP)
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Last updated: 04/07/2008