The central tenet of the American dream is that if you work hard, you will be able to support yourself and your family, save for retirement, and invest in your children’s future. But in today’s economy, hard work does not guarantee economic stability. Working people are faced with lower and less stable earnings, anemic benefits, and a frayed social safety net, making it difficult for them to save and guard against economic risks. Working people and their families are struggling to find steady ground, let alone ladders to climb. On the eve of the Aspen Summit on Inequality and Opportunity, the Economic Opportunities Program and the Financial Security Program host a discussion on work, wealth, and the dissolving link between the two.
This event features Elliot Gerson (Executive Vice President of Policy and Public Programs and International Partners, The Aspen Institute), Lata Reddy (Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Prudential Financial; President, The Prudential Foundation), Juan Salgado (President and CEO, Instituto del Progreso Latino), Jared Bernstein (Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities), Justine Zinkin (Chief Executive Officer, Neighborhood Trust), Tom Shapiro (Pokross Professor of Law and Social Policy, Brandeis University; Director, Institute on Assets and Social Policy), and moderator Melanie Trottman (Freelance Reporter).
This event is part of Reconnecting Work and Wealth, a joint set of work led by the Economic Opportunities Program and the Financial Security Program. Income and assets are both essential building blocks of household economic security and opportunity, and are intertwined in the economic lives of households. Together EOP and FSP are exploring how critical changes in recent decades are reshaping both labor and financial markets and leaving working families more vulnerable. Through publications, public convenings, and intensive dialogues with leaders in industry, academia, philanthropy, government, and nonprofit organizations, the Aspen Institute is advancing the conversation on how to ensure that hard work can lead to economic stability and mobility in today’s economy. Learn more at as.pn/workandwealth.
The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. For more information, visit our website at as.pn/eop. Learn about new events and activities by joining our mailing list (as.pn/eopmail) and following us on social media (as.pn/eopsocial).
