Making Wealth Possible for All
Commonwealth is a national nonprofit building financial security and opportunity for financially vulnerable people through innovation and partnerships.
NEW RESEARCH
What will it take for investors living on low and moderate incomes to stay invested?
Commonwealth’s latest report, supported by and in collaboration with The BlackRock Foundation, brings together insights from across The Investor Diaries, including lived experiences, national survey data, and large-scale transaction analysis, to understand how people living on low and moderate incomes (LMI) are engaging with investing.
The findings across the research reveal a clear shift: more people are entering the markets than ever before, but staying invested depends on financial stability, actionable guidance, and access to trusted information.
As a historically underrepresented group in capital markets, investors living on LMI are increasingly turning to investing as a path to long-term financial security and wealth building. Supporting their ability to remain invested is critical to helping families build confidence, stability, and reach long-term goals.
Featured
BlackRock’s Emergency Savings Initiative Impact and Learnings Report 2019-2026
The 2026 Emergency Savings Initiative (ESI) Impact Report examines how emergency savings solutions can strengthen workplace financial security and support long-term financial well-being for working families.
Workplace Benefits in Healthcare: From Challenges to Opportunities for Impact
Healthcare employers are navigating rising costs, workforce complexity, and growing employee financial strain. Commonwealth’s latest research explores how intentional workplace financial benefits—including emergency savings, student debt support, and communication strategies—can strengthen workforce stability, improve engagement, and support retention across the healthcare sector.
Brewing Financial Security: Lessons from the My Starbucks Savings Program
This case study examines the design, implementation, and key insights of My Starbucks Savings (MSS)—Starbucks’ employer-sponsored emergency savings program.
Research & Insights
At Commonwealth, we share our original research and practical solutions—through briefs, research reports, videos, and infographics—to provide you with innovative ideas, practical insights, and the tools you need to act.
Featured Research
Retail Investors on the Rise: What Billions of Transactions Reveal About Today’s Retail Investors Living on Low and Moderate Incomes
Through a collaboration between Commonwealth, The BlackRock Foundation, and the JPMorganChase Institute (JPMCI), billions of transactions and more than 25 million checking accounts were analyzed to learn more about how and why people choose to invest, giving a further macro-view into the pattern of today’s retail investors living on low-to-moderate income (LMI).
Building an Emergency Savings Program That Works: A Strategic Approach for Employers
This case study with The Fresh Market offers strategic guidance for employers on building and launching a multi-solution emergency savings benefit program. Dive into the details of implementing both digital and in-person emergency savings solutions, as well as providing access to the $1,000 emergency withdrawal provision under SECURE 2.0
Driving Impact: How a Large Healthcare Employer Created Emergency Savings and Retirement Outcomes at Scale
Discover how a major healthcare employer, in partnership with Commonwealth as part of BlackRock’s Emergency Savings Initiative, achieved record engagement with a workplace emergency savings program thereby supporting retirement plan participation offering valuable lessons for employers to optimize their benefits.
Events & News
Our speakers’ programs and media placements provide an opportunity to discover new data, receive expert insights, and strategize for organizational success. Join us in conversation as we work towards a more equitable and prosperous financial future for all people living in the United States.
recent news & upcoming events
The Wall Street Journal: More Working-Class Americans Than Ever Are Investing in the Stock Market
Commonwealth CEO Timothy Flacke is quoted in this article from the Wall Street Journal with findings from our report, Understanding Today’s Retail Investor: Examining the Behaviors, Motivations, and Challenges of New Investors Living on Low and Moderate Incomes.
Breaking the Savings Paradox
In a webinar held on June 10, 2025, Commonwealth, BlackRock, Compass Financial Partners, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC Company, and Voya Financial discussed the wide-ranging needs of employees in a geographically diverse workforce, and how a suite of emergency savings and liquidity options can best serve workers, and where the new provision fits into those options.
Rethinking Retirement: How SECURE 2.0 Provision Can Protect & Reinvigorate Plan Participation
How often have you heard someone say they’re not saving for retirement because they can’t afford to risk locking up their money for the long term? What if they had more financial flexibility when the unexpected arises? A provision within the SECURE 2.0 legislation offers an opportunity to add this near-term financial flexibility to retirement savings. One of the policy’s provisions allows employees to withdraw up to $1,000 penalty-free from their 401(k)-retirement account once a year for financial needs relating to personal or family emergency expenses.
Our Partners and Supporters
To advance innovation and systemic change, we collaborate with employers, financial services firms, fintechs, foundations, policymakers, retirement recordkeepers, payroll platforms, and workplace solutions providers. Financially vulnerable people living in the United States face complex challenges, and together with our partners, we make financial security possible for millions of people.
