Before the current recession, soaring stock prices and housing values made many Americans feel well off, and thus many were lax in saving for retirement. The current financial market downturn has erased much of the previous gains, leaving many workers unprepared for retirement.

This study explores the connections between insurance, wealth building/wealth preservation, and access to financial services (hereafter financial access) for low- and moderate-income consumers. It examines the needs, attitudes, and practices that these consumers have regarding insurance, and...

Many analysts fear that a rising saving rate could hamper the economic recovery.

We estimate a New-Neoclassical Synthesis model of the business cycle with two investment shocks. The first, an investment-specific technology shock, affects the transformation of consumption into investment goods and is identified with the relative price of investment. The second shock affects...