Solutions that aim to increase the financial well-being for low- to moderate-income people living in the United States and abroad.
FOUNDING PARTNER
At MetLife Foundation, we believe financial health belongs to everyone. We bring together bold solutions, deep financial expertise and meaningful grants to build financial health for people and communities that are underserved and aspire for more. We partner with organizations around the world to create financial health solutions and build stronger communities, engaging MetLife employees to help drive impact. To date, our financial health work has reached more than 6 million low-income individuals in 42 countries.
To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit metlife.org.
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BlackRock helps investors build better financial futures. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, our clients turn to us for the solutions they need when planning for their most important goals. As of December 31, 2018, the firm managed approximately $5.98 trillion in assets on behalf of investors worldwide.
Twitter: @blackrock | Blog: www.blackrockblog.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock
Our goal is to create and test solutions... see below to read our findings:
Many Americans are struggling to manage their cash-flow effectively. This is largely due to high income volatility, and unexpected expense shocks. As the Center for Financial Services Innovation has documented, cash flow management is not an issue affecting just temporary, seasonal, or contract workers. According to the U.S. Financial Diaries Project, the average family income experiences a 25% increase or decrease from their
median income for more than five months out of the year.
While the median household income rose 5.2% in 2015, it is still below 1999 levels. With stagnant income and increasing expenses, our middle-class is suffering. And the world is getting more tempting. From the growing persuasiveness of advertising to “one-click” payment methods, it is becoming harder for consumers to resist the temptation to buy. Even when consumers try to be fiscally responsible by setting auto-savings, preliminary research by Daniel Fernandes has shown that many people who have auto-savings will still incur credit card debt because they do not adjust their expenses to account for savings.
Families with low credit scores or limited credit histories are forced to seek liquidity from often predatory lenders such as pawn shops, auto title lenders, and payday lenders. Credit scores can also a ect a person’s ability to rent a home, gain employment, or access student loans. The current lending system has become too focused on trying to measure risk rather than on developing strategies to mitigate that risk. Furthermore, the credit system attributes too much of the risk to individual characteristics without also examining how the way in which the system is structured may actually perpetuate or contribute to missed payments or default. Instead, we believe that how a borrower’s environment is designed can increase the likelihood of repayment, regardless of each individual’s credit risk. This way, we don’t have to push individuals with low credit scores to use predatory lenders who lend at interest rates of upwards of 400%.
In the complex financial lives of Americans, nearly half of all people living in the United States would not be able to live off their savings for three months at the poverty level. The outlook is even more startling for low-income households; only 1 in 3 households earning $15,000 or less even have a savings account. In a study we conducted with close to 1,000 LMI participants, 36% self-reported having less than $500 in savings (including retirement savings).
The Common Cents Lab is working with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth to improve the financial resilience of digital platform workers and entrepreneurs in Latin America.
Find out more
Hay más de 200 nombres para referirse a uno de los mecanismos…
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Hans was born and raised in Peru, where he earned his professional degree in Psychology. After working in the Ministry...
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Hans was born and raised in Peru, where he earned his professional degree in Psychology. After working in the Ministry...
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Stefán earned his B.S. in Economics and Psychology with a minor in Mathematics at the Wilkes Honors College of FAU...
Hans French, a behavioral researcher at the Common Cents Lab, which belongs…
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Richard applies behavioral science and design at the Common Cents Lab, where he focuses on improving the financial decision-making of...
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Allison is a behavioral researcher in the Common Cents Lab. She has always been fascinated by human behavior and passionate...
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Lindsay Juarez has a Ph.D. in social psychology and specializes in goal pursuit and self-control. She studies on the conflicts...
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Margaret is a hell of an engineer from Georgia Tech with Master’s degrees in both Mechanical Engineering and Data Analytics. ...
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Amanda graduated from Wellesley College in 2009, and later moved down south to attend Duke’s Psychology & Neuroscience graduate program,...
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Allison is a behavioral researcher in the Common Cents Lab. She has always been fascinated by human behavior and passionate...
Amanda graduated from Wellesley College in 2009, and later moved down south to attend Duke’s Psychology & Neuroscience graduate program,...
Low financial literacy is a growing problem in the United States. A…
Allison is a behavioral researcher in the Common Cents Lab. She has always been fascinated by human behavior and passionate...
The President signed a memorandum in August 2020 allowing employers to defer…
Margaret is a hell of an engineer from Georgia Tech with Master’s degrees in both Mechanical Engineering and Data Analytics. ...
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While the days of making penny rolls may be long over, converting…
After graduating from the University of Virginia in May of 2018 where she studied cognitive science and computer science, Jianna...
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Amanda graduated from Wellesley College in 2009, and later moved down south to attend Duke’s Psychology & Neuroscience graduate program,...
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Kristen founded Irrational Labs, a non-profit behavioral consulting company, with Dan Ariely in 2013. She helps companies and nonprofits understand...
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Dan is a part-time behavioral research assistant and project manager on the CAH Government team as he pursues a Master's...
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As soon as we can speak, we insist we can do it…
Lindsay Juarez has a Ph.D. in social psychology and specializes in goal pursuit and self-control. She studies on the conflicts...
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Mariel mainly works on applications of behavioral research, primarily in the financial services sector and public policy arena. She holds...
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Joseph is an Applied Behavioral Researcher at the Lab. He is currently on secondment (temporary assignment) from central government in...
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Mariel mainly works on applications of behavioral research, primarily in the financial services sector and public policy arena. She holds...
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Stephanie grew up in New Jersey and attended UNC-Chapel Hill where she majored in Psychology and minored in French and...
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Stephanie grew up in New Jersey and attended UNC-Chapel Hill where she majored in Psychology and minored in French and...
Mariel mainly works on applications of behavioral research, primarily in the financial services sector and public policy arena. She holds...
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Kristen founded Irrational Labs, a non-profit behavioral consulting company, with Dan Ariely in 2013. She helps companies and nonprofits understand...
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Kristen founded Irrational Labs, a non-profit behavioral consulting company, with Dan Ariely in 2013. She helps companies and nonprofits understand...
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James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at the Fuqua School of Business, Dan studies how people actually...
Kristen founded Irrational Labs, a non-profit behavioral consulting company, with Dan Ariely in 2013. She helps companies and nonprofits understand...
Wendy is the Lead Behavioral Strategist for Irrational Labs, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Dan Ariely that applies behavioral economics...
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Wendy is the Lead Behavioral Strategist for Irrational Labs, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Dan Ariely that applies behavioral economics...
Kristen founded Irrational Labs, a non-profit behavioral consulting company, with Dan Ariely in 2013. She helps companies and nonprofits understand...
Credit cards are ubiquitous in American society – nearly 70% of all…
Emory works as a senior researcher within the Common Cents Lab at CAH. In this capacity, he explores ways that...
James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at the Fuqua School of Business, Dan studies how people actually...
As the middle class shrinks and real wages have been steadily decreasing,…
Kristen founded Irrational Labs, a non-profit behavioral consulting company, with Dan Ariely in 2013. She helps companies and nonprofits understand...
Wendy is the Lead Behavioral Strategist for Irrational Labs, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Dan Ariely that applies behavioral economics...
Mariel mainly works on applications of behavioral research, primarily in the financial services sector and public policy arena. She holds...
According to recent research, 57 percent of American adults say they are…
Kristen founded Irrational Labs, a non-profit behavioral consulting company, with Dan Ariely in 2013. She helps companies and nonprofits understand...
Wendy is the Lead Behavioral Strategist for Irrational Labs, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Dan Ariely that applies behavioral economics...
James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at the Fuqua School of Business, Dan studies how people actually...
The Common Cents Lab partners with tech companies, credit unions, banks, non-profits, and cities to
design and test behaviorally-informed interventions to increase financial well-being for vulnerable
populations in the United States, China, Mexico, and Turkey.
What do our partners say about working with us?
“As we have learned through our partnership with Common Cents Lab, we might think we know what the member wants or needs to better their financial lives, but through experimentation we can allow the data and results to speak for themselves.”
Adele Glenn Emerging Channels Innovation Architect at Credit Human
“Common Cents has added rigor to the way we build new features that improve our users’ lives.”
Jimmy Chen CEO of Propel
“Partnering with Common Cents has been instrumental in helping us develop features to drive substantial savings for our customers.”
Ethan Bloch CEO of Digit
Investment Partner
Investment Partner
Anat is an Investment Partner at Innovation Endeavors, where she connects and works with early stage entrepreneurs who think big...
Assistant Commissioner and Executive Director at NYC Department of Consumer Affairs
Assistant Commissioner and Executive Director at NYC Department of Consumer Affairs
Cathie oversees all of the programmatic and investment activities for the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions (CDCU). She...
Associate Professor
Associate Professor
Crystal C. Hall is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance. Her...
Assistant Vice President of Financial Inclusion at MetLife Foundation
Assistant Vice President of Financial Inclusion at MetLife Foundation
Evelyn is Assistant Vice President of Financial Inclusion at MetLife Foundation.
Executive Director of the Initiative on Financial Security (IFS) at the Aspen Institute
Executive Director of the Initiative on Financial Security (IFS) at the Aspen Institute
Ida is the Executive Director of the Initiative on Financial Security (IFS) at the Aspen Institute, where she is focused...
Professor of Free Enterprise at the Leeds School of Business
Professor of Free Enterprise at the Leeds School of Business
John is the Ted Andersen Professor of Free Enterprise at the Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder, and...
Change Maker at Angel List
Change Maker at Angel List
Parker has spent his career working on, for, and with startups as a software developer, business developer, and investor. He...
Senior Vice President at Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI)
Senior Vice President at Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI)
Rachel is a Senior Vice President at Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI). Under her leadership, CFSI produces independent, data-driven...
CO-FOUNDER OF INTUIT
CO-FOUNDER OF INTUIT
Scott is a co-founder of Intuit, where he has been Director since March 1983 and currently serves as Chairman of...
Partner at Paul Hastings
Partner at Paul Hastings
Thomas is a partner in the Antitrust and Competition and the Global Banking and Payment Systems practices, where he focuses...
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Toni hails from Guadalajara, Mexico, though she has lived and worked in more than a handful of cities from a...
PRINCIPAL, CENTER FOR ADVANCED HINDSIGHT
PRINCIPAL, CENTER FOR ADVANCED HINDSIGHT
James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at the Fuqua School of Business, Dan studies how people actually...
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Hans was born and raised in Peru, where he earned his professional degree in Psychology. After working in the Ministry...
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Jamie Foehl is a researcher at Duke University in Dan Ariely’s lab – The Center for Advanced Hindsight (CAH). Her...
PRINCIPAL, GLOBAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT
PRINCIPAL, GLOBAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Jan Willem received his Ph.D. in Philosophy and M.A. in Law from the KU Leuven, in Belgium. Previously, he was...
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
After graduating from the University of Virginia in May of 2018 where she studied cognitive science and computer science, Jianna...
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Jiayu Zhao (Lynn) graduated from Washington University in St.Louis with a Master of Social Work, and before that she received...
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Joseph is an Applied Behavioral Researcher at the Lab. He is currently on secondment (temporary assignment) from central government in...
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Juan is a Behavioural Researcher from Argentina working to improve the financial resiliency and wellbeing of low and moderate income...
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Originally from Mumbai, India, Kahini received her B.A. in Economics and Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and her...
PRINCIPAL, COMMON CENTS LAB
PRINCIPAL, COMMON CENTS LAB
Mariel mainly works on applications of behavioral research, primarily in the financial services sector and public policy arena. She holds...
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Michael graduated from the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences program at the University of Pennsylvania. When he is not...
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Mikalyn is interested in behavioral science, design strategy, and organizational health. She enjoys finding ways for each of these domains...
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Perry is a senior researcher in the Common Cents Lab at CAH, investigating how behavioral science can influence the design...
MAKING S**T HAPPEN
MAKING S**T HAPPEN
Rosa has been in Durham and at Duke since 2016. At CAH, she provides administrative support to the Common Cents Lab...
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Shanta Ricks received her Master of Arts in Psychology from North Carolina Central University in December 2018 and now works...
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Sid graduated from Indiana University South Bend with a B.A. in Psychology and now works at the Center for Advanced...
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
SENIOR BEHAVIORAL RESEARCHER
Zarak Khan is a behavioral scientist with experience generating and applying insights to organizational strategy, innovation infrastructure, product design, public...
