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What's New

December 2011
Neighborhoods: Foreclosure’s Silent Victims

IASP Research Associate, Hannah Thomas, illustrates the impact of foreclosures on neighborhood well-being in the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s publication, Communities & Banking.

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November 2011
Compass Financial Stability and Savings Program Pilot Evaluation

Compass FSS Report CoverIASP reports very promising first year results for Compass Working Capital’s innovative asset building approach to the federal FSS program. Program participation has increased almost 200% with over one-third beginning to accrue savings.

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October 2011
Rising Economic Insecurity among Senior Single Women

Senior Single Women Report CoverNearly half (47%) of all senior single women in America do not have adequate retirement resources to meet even their most basic needs for the remainder of their lives, and this number is rising. This distressing statistic is among the findings from a report released today by IASP and Demos, the latest in the Living Longer on Less series.

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View Press Release

 

 

Webinar: "From Bad to Worse: Senior Economic Insecurity on the Rise"

NCOA Webinar This webinar, hosted by the National Council on Aging (NCOA), explores the findings of IASP's two recent Living Longer on Less briefs. Speakers include IASP Research Director Dr. Tatjana Meschede (lead author), as well as Ramsey Alwin, Director of NCOA's Economic Security Initiative.

Listen to the Recording

View the Presentation

  

Foreclosure Fiasco: Documentation Challenges and Policy Solutions

Foreclosure FiascoSponsored by IASP and presented by Suffolk Law School, the conference explored policy responses that could alleviate the immediate fiasco created by problematic loan documentation and prevent a recurrence in the future. 

View Coverage by Banker & Tradesman 

September 2011
OUP Empowerment Series "Homelessness" Webcast

IASP Research Director Tatjana Meschede was a featured participant in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of University Partnerships (OUP) Empowerment Series "The Key to Unlocking Homelessness in America: Emerging Trends in HUD-Sponsored Research" webinar. 

View the Presentation

Minding the Wealth Gap

The Callie Crossley Show

IASP Director Tom Shapiro speaks with WGBH's Callie Crossley on escalating poverty rates, the top one percent, and forces behind the racial wealth gap. 

Listen to the Story

New Programs Aim To Close The Wealth Gap (Part 2)

In Part Two of  NPR's report, IASP Director Tom Shapiro discusses children's savings accounts as tools for narrowing the racial wealth gap.

Listen to the Story


Making It In The US: More Than Just Hard Work (Part 1)

IASP Director Tom Shapiro discusses the racial wealth gap on NPR's Morning Edition.

Listen to the Story

August 2011
IASP Director Thomas Shapiro on MSNBC's 'The Rachel Maddow Show'
Dr. Thomas Shapiro on MSNBC

Dr. Shapiro discusses the effect of current public policy on the growing income disparity in America.

May 2010
The Racial Wealth Gap Increases Fourfold

Cover of racial wealth gap reportThis IASP research brief reveals new evidence that the wealth gap between white and African American families has more than quadrupled over the course of a generation (1984-2007), demonstrating an escalating racial wealth gap.
View Report

Webinar slides and recording.

IASP Wealth Gap Chart as seen on CNN

CNN reported on this research on May 19.  View the segment here.

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Institute on Assets and Social Policy (IASP)

The Institute on Assets and Social Policy is a research institute at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, dedicated to promoting a better understanding of how assets and asset-building opportunities improve the well-being and financial stability of individuals and families left out of the economic mainstream.

Featured Project

Senior Economic Insecurity

The Institute on Assets and Social Policy examines the long-term economic stability and risk of senior citizens. The Living Longer on Less series, released in collaboration with Demos, includes:

Seniors of ColorThe Crisis of Economic Insecurity for African-American and Latino Seniors, September 2011 •  New research from IASP and Demos reveals crisis levels of economic insecurity among current African-American and Latino seniors- 52% of African-American and 56% of Latino seniors do not have adequate retirement resources to meet their basic needs throughout their expected life-spans. Driven by extremely low levels of asset wealth and high housing costs, most seniors of color are struggling financially during their elder years.  Report

From Bad to Worse Report CoverFrom Bad to Worse: Senior Economic Insecurity on the Rise, July 2011   The first in a series of four research briefs, this report shows a troublesome trend of increased economic insecurity among senior households in just four years (2004-2008). Economic insecurity among seniors increased by one-third, from 27% to 36%. Report



SFSI report cover Severe Financial Insecurity Among African American and Latino Seniors, May 2010    IASP and Demos release research finding that 91% of both African American and Latino seniors face financial vulnerability. Report cites lack of assets and housing expenses as leading causes for the high financial insecurity among seniors of color.    Report

LLOL cover Living Longer on Less: The New Economic (In)Security of Seniors, January 2009    IASP and Demos find 78% of all senior households are financially vulnerable when it comes to their ability to meet essential expenses and cover projected costs over their lifetime.  Economic insecurity is particularly pronounced for single senior households - with 84% among them facing financial insecurity.  Those sobering stats serve as an economic distress signal for older Americans and a wake-up call for younger and middle-aged Americans.     Report