No One Silver Bullet: Rebuilding Financial Health in America

What does it mean to be financially healthy in America today? Jennifer Tescher, founder of the Financial Health Network, joins us to trace the roots of financial inequality, unpack the data behind money and wellbeing, and explore how employers, policymakers, and institutions can rebuild the promise of the American dream.

Notes from our host, Emily Trant:

I can’t recall exactly when I first became aware of Jennifer Tescher, but I’ve been a fan of her work for several years now. She set up the Financial Health Network (https://finhealthnetwork.org/) more than 20 years ago, and has been systematically measuring the financial health of Americans ever since. 

Jen is everything you could hope for in a podcast guest. She’s smart, kind, thoughtful and willing to take a stance on tricky topics. Thank you so much Jen for taking the time to meet with me.

Here are some useful resources that we talk about on the show:

• Financial Health Pulse research (https://finhealthnetwork.org/programs/financial-health-pulse/) for the latest benchmark data. Essential reading!
• MIT living wage calculator (https://livingwage.mit.edu/) 

Much of what we speak about is systems change, and that takes time. Here are some of the policies and programs that the FHN has influenced:

• SECURE 2.0 provisions for automatic enrollment into 401(k) policies and new pension linked emergency savings accounts (PLESAs)
• US Treasury National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/NSFI.pdf) 
• OCC Vital Signs Initiative (Watch here: https://finhealthnetwork.org/event-session/keynote-address-financial-health-vital-signs/) 

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