Financial services play a key role in most people’s lives. This makes the ability to make sound financial decisions an essential life skill, one that enables people to manage their day-to-day expenditure, cope with unforeseen emergencies and plan for their retirement. Such skills are becoming even more important as the financial services market becomes more … Continued

This briefing outlines the Foundation’s recent research into the financial health of low earners and sets out our current work program. The Resolution Foundation has undertaken research into how low earners access financial services, focusing in particular on how to meet their financial advice needs. We produced a proposal for a national generic financial advice … Continued

The Foundation welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Reforming Financial Markets White Paper. To reflect the focus of our work, this memorandum comments on a number of issues in chapter 8 – Supporting and Protecting Consumers – and specifically addresses consultation questions 15 to 21. 

The Resolution Foundation welcomes the Thoresen Review of Generic Financial Advice’s (GFA) Interim Report. In particular it welcomes the Review’s intentions to carry out out a local level analysis of existing advice provision. This is important to fully harness the potential of existing local trust relationships, brands and market coverage of hard to reach groups. 

This briefing, published in partnership with Transact, explains financial capability and outlines key developments and key policy themes in this area.

This briefing, published in partnership with Transact, defines ‘financial exclusion,’ explains the costs of financial exclusion and sets out the key developments and policy themes in this area in the last decade.

This report examines comparison websites offering comparative information regarding financial products. The objective was to provide a representative snapshot of the sector to inform our analysis of how well the sector is serving consumers, particularly those on low to media incomes and to identify areas that could be improved in light of the wider policy … Continued

This briefing sets out the evidence from a new poll commissioned by the Resolution Foundation from YouGov. The poll suggests that people in the UK are in a poor state of financial health, with parents in particular concerned about how their children will cope with the financial decisions they will face and large numbers of … Continued

This briefing draws on the conclusions from the Foundation’s seminar held on 23 May 2007 to discuss generic financial advice and personal accounts, as well as the Foundation’s wider work on this issue.

This briefing sets out the Foundation’s response to the Thoresen Review’s ‘Call for Evidence’.

This briefing sets out the Resolution Foundation’s response to the Government’s long term strategy on financial capability. This is a vital area of policy and we commend the steps taken in this strategy to improve the coordination of financial capability activity in the UK and investigate further the feasibility of a national generic financial advice … Continued

This report summarises the predicted impacts on the financial services industry of improved financial decision making by low and median earners, driven by increased access to financial advice. It is based on economic modelling carried out for the Resolution Foundation by Deloitte. 

This briefing summarises the Government’s long term strategy on financial capability as set out in Financial capability: The Government’s long-term approach, a consultation document outlining the Government’s approach to improving financial capability.

This report analyses whether generic financial advice services could be provided on a commercial basis and, if so, what form they would take and which sections of society they would serve. The report is based on previous research, interviews with practitioners in the industry, the regulator and other interested organisations, and the author’s experience in … Continued

This briefing makes the case for a modern welfare state that tackles inequality of wealth as well as inequality of income, and promotes self-reliance in the place of dependency. The pamphlet argues that to successfully address inequality and poverty it will be necessary to bring together all existing initiatives and potential ideas into a coherent programme, … Continued

This report evaluates the case for developing a national advice resource to provide impartial, generic financial advice targeted at people on low to moderate incomes. It is based on modelling commissioned from Deloitte & Touche LLP to assess the impact of receiving financial advice on financial outcomes for individuals in this income group and the … Continued

This report examines the demographic and financial characteristics of people on low to moderate incomes and investigates whether a new national resource could be established, funded through a public-private partnership, to provide generic financial advice targeted at this group. The report draws together findings from quantitative and qualitative analysis of low earners and service delivery … Continued

This report, a partnership between the Alliance for Health in the Future and the Future Foundation, details the results of research into the social and economic profile of low earners for the Resolution Foundation. These individuals are largely independent of state support, but are not a profitable group for the financial services industry to want … Continued

This briefing presents the Foundation’s evidence to the Treasury Select Committee inquiry into financial inclusion. The focus of this submission is on the vital and challenging issue of access to financial advice, particularly for basic rate taxpayers on less than average income. They have both the most to gain from getting financial decisions right and … Continued