Welcome to "Research Matters"

Four months ago I gave up a tenured faculty position in academia to join SaverLife as Vice President of Research and Policy. Now, before you start asking yourself “why on Earth would someone give up job security to jump back into nonprofit work?” let me share something with you.

After years of conducting academic research on financial health, I’m convinced that most of the financial challenges people with low-to-moderate incomes face are the result of bad decisions, but not by individuals, by society. ?Decisions like whether the minimum wage should be a living wage, whether people deserve to have paid sick and family leave, how much people should pay for health care and college, the generosity and ease of accessing public benefits, and more.

Clearer now why I left academia to join an action-oriented organization like SaverLife?

For me it’s all about the impact — the opportunity to join SaverLife and do research in service of a mission that helps our members improve their financial health and advocate for systemic change? It was too good to pass up.

In the coming weeks and months, I look forward to sharing more about the research our incredible team and partners are conducting, the insights we’re producing, and the ideas we’re translating into specific actions that can improve the financial health and well-being of people living on low-to-moderate incomes.

If you haven’t already taken a look at some of our current projects, I invite you to explore them and learn more about the work we’re doing with partners like the Center for Responsible Lending, Aspen Institute Financial Security Program, Brookings Institution, Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, Dollar For, Urban Institute, Filene Research Institute, ideas42, J.P. Morgan Chase Institute, Bipartisan Policy Center, and others.

Be on the lookout for more regular communication from the SaverLife Research Team, and make sure to forward this email along to others so they get updates delivered straight to their inbox. We have a lot of important insights and findings on the horizon, and I’m looking forward to including you on this journey.

Last but not least, don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know what you’re working on, what you’re finding, what’s on your mind, or just to share a great song you’ve heard lately.