The mission of the Asset Building Program is to significantly broaden access to economic resources through increased savings and asset ownership, thereby providing families with enhanced economic security, a direct stake in the commonwealth, and the means to pursue their aspirations.
For the tax preparation process to fulfill its potential as a delivery system for asset building resources, there need to be adequate protections in place to ensure its integrity.
Some states and cities are stepping up with regulation to try and fix the problem, but federal action that creates a baseline for standards of preparation, price disclosure and transparency, is necessary to help ensure striving families have access to the credits and refunds that are essential to their financial security.
This week's topics include President Obama’s Budget for FY2016, college completion rates, and how geography impacts economic opportunity in the United States.
As Justin King has noted, some states including Maine, Rhode Island and Nevada are trying to encourage college attendance by setting up accounts for all children and seeding them with initial deposits (though the $500 per child in Maine seems more encouraging than the $50 in Nevada). Perhaps creating an account in a child’s name will get families thinking about college.
This week's topics include college savings plans, black wealth, and consumer protection.
Pioneering work by Ray Boshara of the St. Louis Federal Reserve and the New America Foundation has led to numerous innovations by states and nonprofits to increase access to 529 accounts and match the contributions made by low-income savers.
For the tax preparation process to fulfill its potential as a delivery system for asset building resources, there need to be adequate protections in place to ensure its integrity.
The Asset Building Program at New America released a report today, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day, that calls for adoption of the Schumer box to help bring transparency to what is an opaque and unpredictable market for commercial tax preparation services.
New America's Justin King explains that even though President Obama has dropped his bad idea to tax 529s, there is still a lot more to say about them.
President Obama is right that 529 accounts benefit the wealthy. But they could become an important tool for the middle class.
This week's topics include the State of the Union address, a Second-Chance Economy, and child poverty.
All Americans deserve a second chance.
Being unemployed shouldn’t make you unemployable. Rachel Black and Aleta Sprague outline the steps necessary to restore second chances.
Workers may invest years in their education and acquiring the skills that make them successful at their jobs -- only to be rejected because of factors beyond their control. Not only can this create a scarring effect that can permanently diminish their earning potential, it also results in a tremendous loss of human capital at a time when the economy is still struggling to recover.
The Asset Building News Week is a weekly Friday feature on The Ladder, the Asset Building Program blog, designed to help readers keep up with news and developments in the asset building field. This week's topics include federal tax reform, regressive state tax systems, education and retirement security.
Could 2015 be the year that marks a turning point for rebuilding middle-class wealth?
This is a great time for reflection, and in that spirit we leave you with this Best of 2014 collection.
The Asset Building News Week is a weekly Friday feature on The Ladder, the Asset Building Program blog, designed to help readers keep up with news and developments in the asset building field. This week's topics include wealth inequality and the racial wealth gap, retirement security, prize-linked savings, and individuals with disabilities.
The Asset Building News Week is a weekly Friday feature on The Ladder, the Asset Building Program blog, designed to help readers keep up with news and developments in the asset building field. This week's topics include retirement, the racial wealth gap, and drug testing.
For many Americans living with disabilities, it has been a good week: now that the Senate passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act this week (following the House's passage in early December) it is now on its way to the President to be signed into law.
Could a new program in Illinois help solve our national retirement savings crisis?
The Asset Building News Week is a weekly Friday feature on The Ladder, the Asset Building Program blog, designed to help readers keep up with news and developments in the asset building field. This week's topics include inequality, gentrification, and technology.
