We’re working on our Autumn 2021 programme of events. Sign up to our mailing list to be among the first to know about our upcoming events.
Past events
Supporting emergency saving: what does saver success look like?
Date: Thursday 8 July 2021 | 2-3pm (BST)
Registration now closed. A recording of this event will soon be available to watch online
This event launched our latest briefing paper, sharing early learnings from our sidecar savings trial. The report explores some of our emerging insights about the employee experience of having access to a payroll sidecar savings tool.
Speakers
- Sheida Elmi, Research Program Manager at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program
- Jo Phillips, Director of Research and Innovation at Nest Insight
- Peter Tutton, Head of Policy at StepChange Debt Charity
For individuals and households living on low to moderate incomes, having even a small amount of savings set aside and mentally labelled as ‘for emergencies’ can protect against negative impacts from a financial shock. Research from debt charity StepChange found that if a household has £1,000 in savings, this reduces its chances of falling into problem debt by almost half. However, we know that millions of UK households just do not have short-term accessible savings.
Nest Insight’s research trial on sidecar savings was established to help bridge gaps in our understanding of what works in supporting this kind of saving and how improving short-term financial resilience can have a lasting impact, right through to retirement. But how do we measure this success? And what does what we’re learning about the employee experience of sidecar savings tell us about the sort of tools, approaches and communication strategies that might be needed? In this panel discussion, we’ll hear from experts on how we should think about the goals of emergency savings and share our emerging insights.
Strengthening retirement systems: the view from the United States
Date: Thursday 1 July 2021 | 2-3pm (BST)
Registration now closed. A recording of this event will soon be available to watch online
In this conversation with Ida Rademacher, Vice-President of the Aspen Institute and Executive Director of the Aspen Financial Security Program, and Will Sandbrook, Executive Director of Nest Insight, we discussed:
- How are policymakers and the financial services industry in the US responding to the uniquely difficult and illuminating past year?
- What have Nest Insight and Aspen FSP learned about savings behaviour across the crisis?
- What are the possible legislative changes on the horizon in terms of retirement?
- Where does retirement sit in the broader financial security framework that the Aspen Institute is working to?
The US and UK retirement systems are structurally similar in design, serve similar labour markets, suffer from similar challenges, and have sought similar solutions to resolve them. There is a strong history of shared thinking and insight, and of parallel development paths in the two countries. And crucially, the next set of challenges across the two systems are also closely related, and will require similar responses. That shared outlook is what brought the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program (Aspen FSP) and Nest Insight together in a transatlantic partnership.
On both sides of the pond, many of the challenges facing low and moderate income workers in achieving retirement security will have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. But as we begin to emerge from the crisis, there may be opportunities to improve the systems that serve them.
Stress-testing defaults: what happens to pension auto enrolment during a crisis?
Date: Thursday 13 May 2021 | 2-2:45pm (BST)
Registration now closed
In this live online event we shared findings from the initial stages of our research programme, and discussed what these learnings may tell us about the resilience of the UK’s retirement system and implications for long-term financial security.
Speakers
- Matthew Blakstad, Analysis Director at Nest Insight
- Jesal D. Sheth, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham
- Professor John Gathergood, from the University of Nottingham
Watch the recording of this event: