Our Research
Commonwealth conducts original qualitative and quantitative research with financially vulnerable people—including Black, Latinx, and women-led households who disproportionately experience financial insecurity. We also interview industry experts and academics. We take what we learn and translate findings into actionable insights and practical solutions designed to change systems to work better for financially vulnerable people. We work with community groups, employers, financial services firms, fintechs, policymakers, and workplace solution providers to design and test real-world, practical solutions that not only work for individuals and families, but are also scalable and address the business needs of our partners.
We share the results of our work to provide you with innovative ideas, practical insights, and the tools you need to act. Explore our publications below.
Transforming Investor Identity
Made possible by the generous support of the Nasdaq Foundation, with a special thanks to our field test investing platform partners Ellevest, Public, and Stash. Our national project, Transforming Investor Identity, is a first-of-its-kind research and pilot program to expand…
Toolkit: Unlocking Investor Identity
Introduction Participants received funding in national study In seed funding per person Months of national research with beginner investors Made possible by the generous support of the Nasdaq Foundation, with a special thanks to our field test investing platform partners…
How Starlight is Using AI to Improve Public Benefits Access
Today, 30% of people in the U.S. participate in some form of public assistance program. However, many more are eligible but do not successfully enroll, often due to the difficulty of navigating complicated administrative barriers in which alignment between eligibility…
Catalyzing Financial Resilience
As part of BlackRock’s Emergency Savings Initiative (ESI) and in collaboration with Commonwealth, a large national healthcare company designed a workplace emergency savings program for over 50,000 employees. The Company reached almost 70% enrollment in an out-of-plan emergency savings program…
Building 529 Engagement through Integrated Emergency and Educational Savings
With the Pennsylvania Treasury Department and Flourish FI (a fintech), we designed a “Savings Pocket Pilot” to see how families might save and engage with 529 plans if they could simultaneously save and access funds for emergencies without penalty. Key…
A Pivotal Juncture for Financial AI
The emergence of new technologies has a major impact on financial security and customer opportunities throughout the financial industry. The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) over the last five years, together with a strong interest in this technology expressed…
Financial AI for Good: Guide & Chatbot
Commonwealth’s Emerging Tech for All (ETA) initiative aims to ensure that the design of new financial technologies integrates the needs, wants, and aspirations of people living on low and moderate incomes (LMI). We are shedding light on these perspectives by…
Parents and Caregivers Saving for Today and the Future
Caring for a child can seem like a series of endless expenses. For people earning low- to moderate incomes, addressing short-term emergency costs associated with caregiving may take precedence over saving for longer-term goals. Through Blackrock’s Emergency Savings Initiative, Commonwealth…
Can Tax Incentives Boost Workplace Emergency Savings?
Employer-sponsored emergency savings accounts (ESAs) are a unique opportunity to impact employee financial well-being. To create a lasting impact, broad adoption by employers and significant employee participation is critical. Designing future legislation for employer-sponsored ESAs should include tax incentives for…
Employee Perspectives on SECURE 2.0
As part of BlackRock’s Emergency Savings Initiative, Commonwealth addresses the implications and opportunities of the recent SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 to support workers’ emergency expense needs. The SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 included two provisions allowing employers to offer…