May 8, 2013
Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill have come together to develop a plan that would help the youngest students learn the benefits of depositing their money in a real bank and saving for a future that includes college.
May 7, 2013
Thelma Small is living proof that it is never too late to improve your financial education and participate in free tax preparation services
May 2, 2013
As a former Pell Grant recipient, I can personally attest to the power of the Pell grant, which made my own college education possible.
Apr 25, 2013
Yesterday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a new white paper examining payday and deposit advance loans.
Apr 11, 2013
The President's budget preserves our historic commitment to protect the nation’s most vulnerable households.
Mar 7, 2013
A Place at the Table, a film concerning hunger in the United States, was released last week across the country.
Jan 22, 2013
This Thursday, January 24, the National Community Tax Coalition will host a briefing on EITC on Capitol Hill.
Jan 4, 2013
By all accounts, the recently passed tax deal averting the “fiscal cliff” was a big win for the American people.
Dec 13, 2012
Check out the latest news, resources and tools for the field
Dec 3, 2012
November highlights with resources, tools and the latest news
Nov 29, 2012
While Congress debates how to balance the nation’s books, American households
Nov 15, 2012
Part two of a broad overview of Guy Molyneux's analysis on how the outcome of the election will affect the asset-building field
Nov 14, 2012
A broad overview of Guy Molyneux's analysis on how the outcome of the election will affect the asset-building field
Nov 6, 2012
This week, the The Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) 2012 Fall Research Conference will again include a number of panels and papers that highlight new asset-based research that directly inform policy and practice.
Oct 17, 2012
At the Opening Plenary of the CFED 2012 Assets Learning Conference, CFED President Andrea Levere offered seven
Oct 11, 2012
Last week, I attended CFED’s 2012 Assets Learning Conference, a biannual national
Sep 21, 2012
As a nonprofessional advocate, I appreciated hearing from two people who have around 30 years of combined
Sep 20, 2012
Thanks to a session with several government policy staff from CFED and a couple of guest experts
Aug 13, 2012
There are only three more weeks to reserve your spot to talk with lawmakers about how to translate promising ideas into meaningful action.
Jul 26, 2012
The theme of the 2012 Assets Learning Conference is “Ideas into Action.” One of the best ways to take action
Jul 16, 2012
Eighty-one organizations in the A&O Network submitted a letter urging the House Agricultural Committee to oppose the proposed Farm Bill.
Jul 9, 2012
On July 5, the House Agriculture Committee unveiled its draft Farm Bill legislation with some very bad news for assets advocates
Jun 28, 2012
Last month, the Department of Labor (DOL) sent a Guidance Letter to each state’s economic development and workforce agencies
Jun 26, 2012
New data from the Federal Reserve’s triennial Survey of Consumer Finances show that household income and wealth significantly dropped from 2007 to 2010.
Jun 1, 2012
In the current polarized political environment, many people assume that more government intervention equals more spending
May 24, 2012
A two-year long effort is about to reach a climax in July, when the Uniform Law Commission
May 16, 2012
Yesterday, DCist indicated that world-renowned Manhattan chef and talk show host Mario Batali announced
May 7, 2012
An American Medical Association study found that one of every five claims is inaccurately processed by health insurers.
May 1, 2012
On May 1, 2009, President Barack Obama proclaimed the month of May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Apr 25, 2012
On Wednesday, April 18, the House Agriculture Committee voted to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by more than $33 billion over ten years.
Mar 14, 2012
Today, David Rothstein from Policy Matters Ohio is testifying to the Senate Banking Committee in a hearing entitled “Examining Issues in the Prepaid Card Market.”
Mar 1, 2012
President Obama’s recent education proposals, expressed in both the State of the Union address and
Feb 28, 2012
On Thursday, February 16, CFED’s founder and Chairman Bob Friedman participated in a congressional briefing
Feb 22, 2012
For the past two years, CFED has kept you up-to-date on an innovative proposal to expand access to entrepreneurship
Feb 17, 2012
Inadequate savings for retirement present a serious threat to the future of American prosperity.
Feb 10, 2012
Congressional hearings are typically information-gathering sessions where expert witnesses take the hot seat
Feb 8, 2012
Thanks to a tremendous collaborative effort between CFED and leaders in the Assets & Opportunity Network, last Tuesday’s launch of the 2012 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard raised up the concept of asset poverty.
Feb 6, 2012
Small businesses need to be honest about those they employ versus those they enter into contracts with as independent contractors
Dec 12, 2011
Last week, Representative Judy Chu of Los Angeles introduced the Entrepreneur Startup
Nov 18, 2011
A lot has happened with state Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) over the past year. These policy changes were captured in our newly released Scorecard Resource Guide on Tax Credits for Working Families.
Oct 10, 2011
The 2011 Pathways to Prosperity Conference will take place next week, October 17-18
Oct 7, 2011
On Tuesday, CFED Vice President for Policy & Research Ida Rademacher testified before the Senate Committee on Banking
Sep 28, 2011
More than 17 million people in the U.S. live in 6.8 million manufactured homes. Nearly half of those homes
Sep 13, 2011
President's jobs proposals would benefit microenterprises, new entrepreneurs, low-income workers
Aug 30, 2011
Early in 2010, the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program released a report indicating that
Aug 24, 2011
Now that the drama of the eleventh-hour budget deal is over, those of us in the asset-building
Aug 2, 2011
Moments ago, the Senate voted to approve a plan that would increase the debt ceiling and decrease the federal deficit
Jul 13, 2011
Carol Wayman, Director of Federal Policy, presented on June 28 to a convening of Ford Foundation grantees
Jun 27, 2011
Here at CFED, when we introduce our colleagues to one another and to members of the assets & opportunity field, we like to
May 18, 2011
Recruit original cosponsors for Supplemental Security Income asset limit reform!
May 5, 2011
Recently, a paper coauthored by CFED Federal Policy Analyst Katherine Lucas-Smith was published in the Suffolk University Law Review.
May 3, 2011
A while back I wrote about asset poverty and how asset-building, not just income, is critical to achieving financial stability.
Apr 28, 2011
ASK your legislator to include key investments in the 2012 budget
Apr 26, 2011
Katherine Newman and Rourke O’Brien’s new book, Taxing the Poor, takes an in depth look at
Apr 19, 2011
Improvements to Assets for Independence Act Will Enable Low-Income Families to Increase their Financial Security & Wealth
Apr 13, 2011
In his speech earlier this afternoon, President Obama rightly identified tax reform as a major part of the solution
Apr 4, 2011
Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee
Mar 21, 2011
Last Tuesday marked the launch of the new Moment of Truth Project – an effort led by
Mar 9, 2011
We noticed a highly innovative development called social impact bonds in the U.K. last year, and we weren’t the only ones. President Obama’s FY 2012 budget includes a similar innovation. Up to $100 million would be invested in a “pay for success” approach in seven pilot areas including, among others, job training, education,
Mar 8, 2011
The Huffington Post column, "Alternative Credit Reporting: Is Experian Really Going to Help You Rebuild Your Credit?", inaccurately describes the extensive research and proven impact of full-file reporting of utility and telecom data. The authors conflate utility and telecom payment data -- which has extensive research and practice demonstrating positive benefits -- with rental payments that is new data and lacks the same analysis and demonstration.
Mar 3, 2011
The Assets for Independence (AFI) program is now accepting new applications for funding AFI projects. While applicants may submit materials at any time throughout the year, the Office of Community Services (OCS) will review and fund new grants in two cycles for the calendar year of 2011 and three cycles in the calendar years 2012 and 2013.
Sep 30, 2010
Neighborhood Partnerships staff is in Washington DC attending the CFED Assets Learning Conference. We were also fortunate to attend a pre-conference session for State & Local Assets Coalitions. This pre-conference session was attended by 43 state asset coalitions and over 30 local asset coalitions. Both on days one and two, attendees were challenged to help CFED build a movement in this country to expand economic opportunities for all Americans.
At the end of day one, attendees were asked to respond about how we view asset building as part of a larger social movement, its strengths and weaknesses, and what we need from partners, national organizations, researchers and funders in the coming years to create opportunity for all Americans.
Sep 23, 2010
In the last 1 or 2 weeks before Congress breaks for recess and fully hits the campaign trails, the conversations on the Hill and in the media has focused heavily on the expiring tax cuts. In addition to the Economic Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) tax cuts from the Bush era, the tax cuts included in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA or the Recovery Act) are also set to expire. The Recovery Act included tax cuts and spending initiatives designed to boost the nation’s ailing economy. However, the biggest success of the Recovery Act was the steps it took toward a more fair and just tax code - a tax code that provides working families to stabilize their finances and begin to build assets.
The Recovery Act included expansion of and reforms to tax credits that make a huge difference for low- and moderate-income workers hit by a decrease in wages and a cut to supportive social programs. These vital tax credits include: expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for families with three or more children and married couples; expansion of the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit (ETC); creation of the Making Work Pay Credit (a $400 credit that benefits 95% of taxpayers); and creation of the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which replaces and expands the existing HOPE education credit.
Sep 22, 2010
Today, CFED, in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is releasing Upside Down: America’s $400 Billion Federal Asset-Building Budget, an investigation into federal expenditures aimed at encouraging savings and investment. You’ll find a copy of Upside Down in your Conference bag.
Among the most compelling findings included in the report is that of the nearly $400 billion spend by the federal government in 2009, most funds went toward tax breaks. However, more than half of these breaks went to the wealthiest five percent of taxpayers, who averaged a net benefit of $95,000 each. On the other hand, less than 5% of the federal expenditures benefitted the Americans earning the least. The bottom 60% of taxpayers averaged just $5 each.
Sep 22, 2010
Tomorrow morning, hundreds of Conference participants will board buses at the 24th street entrance of the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel next to Harry’s Pub and depart for Capitol Hill where they will meet with their members of Congress to advocate for the advancement of America’s assets agenda. Advocates can pick up their Hill Visit packets next to the Registration Desk starting this afternoon. You will get to spend a few hours on the Hill meeting with your representatives. Then, you will assemble on the steps of the Capitol to have a group photograph taken at 12:00 noon. Participants will depart after the group photo and are expected to return between 12:30 and 1:00, just in time for The Innovation Moment, tomorrow’s luncheon plenary!
Sep 22, 2010
From 5:30 – 7:30 this evening, CFED will honor 14 legislative leaders whose contributions to the asset-building field have helped create the Save & Invest Economy. The reception will take place in Salon 2 and light hors d’ouerves will be served. The following legislators will be honored for their commitment to asset-building initiatives:
1200 G Street, NW