http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog Asset Building Blog Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:37:16 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en America's second-largest minority is probably not what you think. It's low-income workers. More than one in four working Americans is low-income according to the Census Bureau, even though on average they are working the equivalent of 1¼ full-time jobs. To help these families, most of our social programs have focused on the ... http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/508 OK, I'll admit it. I am one of those people the president was talking about. If you have read any of my writings, you know that I am anchored by my optimism. But in the dark, rainy days of January in soggy San Francisco, I have been feeling crestfallen after ... http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/505 Earlier this month, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed and vetoed a number of bills that aim to strengthen consumer protection, improve access to health care, and strengthen access to education. Bills signed into law: Consumer Protection and Accountability AB 260 (Lieu)will rein in mortgage brokers by requiring them to act in a ... http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/457 "If you work hard your whole life, you ought to have every opportunity to retire with dignity and financial security," stated President Obama in his weekly address on September 5, 2009. In the same speech, Obama announced new bold initiatives to expand the range of choices for workers who want ... http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/477 A growing body of research indicates that adequate health insurance coverage is a key component of family financial security. In 2007, 62% of all bankruptcies were related to medical debt and approximately half of all mortgage foreclosures in the following year were also caused by medical debt or illness. ... http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/468 CFED, a DC based think-tank with roots in the Bay Area has published their bi-annual Scorecard for Assets and Opportunity. With unemployment running over 12% in the Golden State, it's hard to look beyond the traditional measures of prosperity. But as I have written about in past entries, we have ... http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/450 I suppose I should not be surprised. More than 75% of voters in my poll said they really did believe that renting was the new American Dream. After all, San Francisco is a city of renters (and dreamers), and the poll results below are close to the distribution of residents ... http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/438 It would be a huge impediment to upward mobility among working class people if we, as a nation, downgraded the importance of homeownership. Before I go any further, let me make a few things clear. I'm not one of those people who hate renting. I have lived in rental housing ... http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/406 Postsecondary education is one of the most effective vehicles to help low-income earners escape poverty and promote upward mobility. However, a gap continues to exist between the promise of higher education and the rate at which low-income individuals pursue college education. Only one-third of families in the bottom income quintile ... http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/356 Last September I had the opportunity to participate in a working group tasked with identifying legislative and administrative strategies that encourage CalWORKs clients to take full advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and asset building programs that can help move families toward long term self sufficiency. This ... http://www.assetpolicy.org/blog/archives/331