Financial issues impacting families are receiving renewed attention and interest by scholars, practitioners and students. Unfortunately, social workers and other human service workers often lack preparation, knowledge and skills to tackle increasingly complex financial problems facing their clients. 
A new book; “Financial Capability and Asset Development: Research, Education, Policy, and Practice,” edited by Julie Birkenmaier, Margaret S. Sherraden, and Jami Curley; fills a significant gap by assembling the latest evidence about financial capability and asset development work with low-income households, and linking it to research, education, policy, and practice.
This volume, published by Oxford University Press and edited by Julie Birkenmaier, Margaret S. Sherraden and Jami Curley, will be a key resource in the curriculum developed by the Center for Social Development’s Financial Capability and Asset Building (FCAB) initiative, funded by Well Fargo Advisors. It builds on theoretical, research, policy and program developments over the past two decades in asset development and financial capability.
The book develops the idea and presents evidence that financial capability has a vital role to play in social work research, education, policy and practice. It examines recent work by scholars who are generating knowledge and understanding about the role of financial capability on individual, family and community well-being. Moreover, the volume reviews initial efforts to build professional capacity in social work to address the financial issues of low- and moderate-income and other vulnerable households and develops an agenda for future research and education.
The book will be useful for faculty members, undergraduate and graduate students utilizing the curriculum, as well as for practitioners and policy makers interested in the impact of financial capability and asset work in low- and moderate-income and other financially vulnerable households.
Books can be ordered from Amazon.