Financial Capability and Asset Building in Vulnerable Households is the first text book to focus on financially vulnerable households. Other texts on household (personal) finance focus on middle- to upper-income populations. The book promotes two unique conceptualizations: (1) financial capability depends not only on individual knowledge and behavior, but also on what is possible in the environment; and (2) it offers tools for practitioners for building assets in low-income households, beyond simply stabilizing income. The reader learns about financial capability and asset building through the eyes of four families whose cases unfold over 23 chapters. With backgrounds perfectly suited to tackle this topic, the authors combine a wealth of knowledge and perspectives from social work and financial services.
The coming of this book marks a significant milestone whereby the concept of economic well-being becomes a part of social work curricula….
This textbook is a practical resource for those who want to pursue comprehensive knowledge in the FCAB arena. The book takes a uniquely valuable approach by which financial issues are described from the perspective of those who experience financial struggles and those who are trying to assist them based on principles from the human service profession.
This textbook will be a very useful guide for educators who are interested in starting or expanding a curriculum on financial capability and asset building in social work programs.
Review by Wonhyung Lee
Journal of Teaching in Social Work
This unique text serves as a practical guide for future social workers with an interest in carrying out this important work.
It is essential that social work students are learning how to not only advocate to change policies that affect populations we work with but also apply the practical skills that promote capability and asset building among vulnerable households…. This textbook provides a framework for students to build competence in this area by teaching students about the complex world of financial capability.
Review by David L. Beimers
Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work
The book will be a great resource for social workers. This book provides the background, context, and information needed for social workers to effectively work with their clients to help them to improve their financial situations. In addition, those who are concerned about financial literacy and those who conduct financial literacy workshops or education programs will find the book useful and informative.
Review by Jamie Wagner
Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal
Project: Financial Capability & Asset Building (FCAB)
Citation
Sherraden, M. S., Birkenmaier, J., & Collins, J. M. (2018). Financial capability and asset building in vulnerable households: Theory and practice. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.