Sherraden, M., Clancy, M. M., Huang, J., Boshara, R., & Johnson, L. (2025). Asset building for all, starting at birth: Emergence of federal policy and a key design lesson (CSD Policy Brief No. 25-27). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/baqt-6318
Tag: 2025
Financial Facts: SEED OK Child Development Accounts at Age 17
Huang, J., Schreiner, M., Clancy, M. M., Beverly, S. G., & Sherraden, M. (2025, May). Financial facts: SEED OK Child Development Accounts at age 17 (CSD Fact Sheet No. 25-20). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/2606-nv37
U.S. workers change jobs frequently. How does that affect retirement savings?
Employer-based retirement savings plans have become a cornerstone of how Americans prepare financially for retirement. However, saving for retirement is a long-term process, and U.S. workers change jobs frequently. What happens to workers’ retirement savings when they change jobs? As part of our Workforce Economic Inclusion and Mobility survey, we asked low-wage workers what they did with their retirement plans the last time they switched their jobs. In this post, we discuss the findings.
How many low-wage workers are affected by benefits cliffs and asset limits?
Over 40 million workers in the United States—almost a third of all U.S. workers—receive public benefits. Many of these workers face a unique challenge: They would like to earn higher wages, take on more hours, look for better jobs, or save for emergencies. However, doing so may push them over a benefit program’s income or asset limits, causing them to lose eligibility for the program or to experience reductions in the benefits they need to make ends meet. This is called a benefits cliff. This post discusses the ways in which benefits cliffs, asset limits, and other so-called mobility blockers shape workers’ lives.
The Long-Term Impacts of Child Development Accounts on Parental Educational Expectations and College Preparation
Sun, S., Huang, J., & Sherraden, M. (2025). The long-term impacts of Child Development Accounts on parental educational expectations and college preparation. Social Service Review, 99(2). Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1086/735543
The Workforce Economic Inclusion and Mobility project: Building on employment-related research at CSD
This post discusses the origins and goals of the Workforce Economic Inclusion and Mobility (WEIM) project, an initiative to comprehensively examine the financial vulnerability of low-wage workers in the United States by exploring how financial and mental health are shaped by numerous factors in the workplace, public policy, and beyond.
The Impact of Benefits Cliffs and Asset Limits on Low-Wage Workers: New Evidence From a Nationally Representative Survey
Roll, S., Despard, M., & Miller, S. (2025). Savings incentives and the SECURE 2.0 Act: New evidence on employer-sponsored emergency savings accounts and the Saver’s Match (CSD Research Brief No. 25-12), Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/bn8y-t719
How Employers Are Tackling Mobility Blockers in Public Benefit Programs
May 22, 2025, 1- 2PM (eastern U.S.). Via Zoom
In Her Hands: Final Report
Brugger, L., Davis, S., Elliott, D., Hamilton, L., Roll, S., Rollins, L., Smith, S., Quick, A., & Zewde, N. (2025). In Her Hands: Final report. Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund. https://thegrofund.org/s/25_GRO_IHH_WhitePaper_v6.pdf
Savings Incentives and the SECURE 2.0 Act: New Evidence on Employer-Sponsored Emergency Savings Accounts and the Saver’s Match
Roll, S., Despard, M., & Miller, S. (2025). Savings incentives and the SECURE 2.0 Act: New evidence on employer-sponsored emergency savings accounts and the Saver’s Match (CSD Research Brief No. 25-12), Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/bn8y-t719
Matching Student-Debt Payments with Retirement Contributions Has High Appeal for Low-Wage Workers: Implications for SECURE 2.0
Roll, S., Despard, M., & Zhang, G. (2025). Matching student debt payments with retirement contributions has high appeal for low-wage workers: Implications for SECURE 2.0 (CSD Research Brief No. 25-13). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/njam-jy38
More Money for Less Time? Examining the Relative and Heterogeneous Financial Returns to Non-Degree Credentials and Degree Programs
Jabbari, J., Chun, Y., Mei, X., & Roll, S. (2025). More money for less time? Examining the relative and heterogenous financial returns to non-degree credentials and degree programs. (EdWorkingPaper No. 24-1046). Annenberg Institute at Brown University. https://doi.org/10.26300/qweg-h532
Moving Forward from SECURE 2.0: Saver’s Match
Bipartisan Policy Center and Center for Social Development. (2025, March). Moving forward from SECURE 2.0: Saver’s Credit [Fact Sheet]. Bipartisan Policy Center. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/download/?file=/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Savers-Match-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Moving Forward from SECURE 2.0: Emergency Savings
Bipartisan Policy Center and Center for Social Development. (2025, March). Moving forward from SECURE 2.0: Emergency savings [Fact Sheet]. Bipartisan Policy Center. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/download/?file=/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Emerging-Saving-Fact-Sheet.pdf
Retirement Plan Access Among Low-Wage Workers in 2024: Implications for SECURE 2.0
Roll, S., Despard, M., & Miller, S. (2025). Retirement plan access among low-wage workers in 2024: Implications for SECURE 2.0 (CSD Research Brief No. 25-10). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/k2wj-8b08
Auto-Enrollment, Auto-Escalation, and the Need for Retirement Plan Portability: Implications for SECURE 2.0
Roll, S., Despard, M., & Miller, S. (2025). Auto-enrollment, auto-escalation, and the need for retirement plan portability: Implications for SECURE 2.0 (CSD Research Brief No. 25-11). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/xsyc-qw19
Moving Forward from SECURE 2.0: Building on the Law’s Most Effective Provisions, Closing the Access Gap, and Reforming Social Security
Sprick, E. (with Despard, M., & Roll, S.). (2025). Moving forward from SECURE 2.0: Building on the law’s most effective provisions, closing the access gap, and reforming social security. Bipartisan Policy Center. https://bipartisanpolicy.org/download/?file=/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Moving-Forward-from-SECURE-2.0-BPC-CSD-Report.pdf
“Salt and Eat It or No Salt and Trash It?” Shifts in Support for School Meal Program Flexibilities in Public Comments
Moreland-Russell, S., Zimmermann, N., Gannon, J., Ferris, D., Alba, C., & Jacob, R. R. (2025). “Salt and Eat It or No Salt and Trash It?” Shifts in support for school meal program flexibilities in public comments. Nutrients, 17(5), Article 839. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17050839
Fossil Fuel Wealth for Human Development: CDAs Continue in Kazakhstan with Second Year Deposits
Huseynli, A., & Sherraden, M. (2025). Fossil fuel wealth for human development: CDAs continue in Kazakhstan with second year deposits (CSD Policy Brief No. 25-05). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/PBJS-4450
PCCI Direct Cash Transfer Project: Final Report
Hamilton, L., Roll, S., & Zhang, G. (2025). PCCI Direct Cash Transfer Project: Final Report. Appalachian State University, Family Economic Policy Lab. https://fepl.appstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PCCI-Cohort-2-Final-Report.pdf
Labor Outcomes of Mortgage Payment Subsidies for Unemployed Homeowners
Pierce, S. C., Brown, J. K., Moulton, S., Chun, Y. (2025). Labor outcomes of mortgage payment subsidies for unemployed homeowners. Journal of Housing Economics, 67, Article 102040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhe.2024.102040
Thirty Productive Years and a Very Promising Future: The Annual Letter of the Center for Social Development
Sherraden, M. (2025, January). Thirty productive years and a very promising future: The annual letter of the Center for Social Development (CSD Perspective No. 25-01). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/br71-0530
Universal Asset Building: New Social Policy for a New Era
Sherraden, M., Huang, J., & Zou, L. (2025, January). Universal asset building: New social policy for a new era (CSD Perspective No. 25-02). Washington University, Center for Social Development. https://doi.org/10.7936/5F8X-5253