THE IMPORTANCE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF

ASSET DEVELOPMENT TO ASSET DEVELOPMENT TO

SELF-SUFFICIENCYSELF-SUFFICIENCY

by

Larry Beeferman, Director

Asset Development Institute

Center on Hunger and Poverty

• Assets:

Capacities and resources that enable people to have choices about what the good life means to them, to make those choices, and have a reasonable chance to realize them.

 • Development:

Realizing the potential for change and growth over a lifetime

2Asset Development Institute  Center on Hunger and Poverty

Key Assets:

• Earnings to sustain growth during a working

lifetime

• Knowledge and skills to enhance those

earnings

• Physical and mental health to fully use

knowledge, skills, and other capacities

• Pensions for support in retirement

3Asset Development Institute  Center on Hunger and Poverty

Key Assets (continued):

• Insurance or other protection against risk: labor

market risk (unemployment); personal risk (illness

and disability)

• Savings and equity in a home or business and other

financial resources to complement and enhance all

of the former

• Networks of personal, community, and professional

connections that support and empower

• Geographic community-based infrastructure of

resources and services 4

Asset Development Institute  Center on Hunger and Poverty

Keys to Financial Asset Building • Sufficient and stable flow of cash income

• Sufficient protection against risk, such as labor market risk

(loss of jobs) and personal risk (ill health or disability)

• Structured means by which to save and incentives and supports

for saving

• Access to the means to manage financial assets

• Access to sufficient, reasonably-priced credit to cushion

against risks realized and opportunity sought

• The confidence, capacity, and skills to manage financial assets

accumulated.

5Asset Development Institute  Center on Hunger and Poverty

State options to enable low-income workers to build financial assets

• Increase knowledge and public awareness, to

lay the foundation for large scale policies in

better fiscal times

• Leverage federal resources

• Leverage private profit and non-profit sector

resources

• Make the most of currently limited state

resources

6Asset Development Institute  Center on Hunger and Poverty