Teetering: Why So Many Live On A Financial Tightrope And What To Do About It

Ken Rees

ಮಾರ್ಚ್ 2021 · Radius Book Group

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Nearly half of American adults walk a financial tightrope. They live paycheck to paycheck, in constant danger of job loss or unexpected expenses. Following decades of rising income instability and falling savings—not to mention the twin economic upheavals of the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic—they have become the new normal. Rather than treat “Tightropers” as victims or blame them for their financial decisions, Teetering lets them tell their own stories of setbacks, sacrifice, and perseverance, and provides original research into their unique pressures and needs. Tightropers deserve support at all stages of their lives to build savings for both daily emergencies and long-term retirement. Teetering shows how legislators and regulators can make a difference without unintended consequences and how financial technology innovation can help Tightropers manage their money in uncertain times. Teetering makes the case for urgent action by financial institutions, investors, regulators, policymakers, employers, and influencers to recognize and address the financial forces that have pushed the American dream out of reach for so many. It proposes common ground solutions that work regardless of political leaning and provides a roadmap for how innovators can serve this growing need and how banks and others can start saying “yes” to their customers again.

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KEN REES is a financial technology innovator who is passionate about serving the underserved. Over the past two decades he has founded and grown multiple companies, launched numerous financial products, and served millions of American “Tightropers.” Ken is founder and CEO of Covered, a disruptive Fintech dedicated to providing affordable healthcare financing to people who struggle with less-than-prime credit scores. Before that, he was founder and CEO of Elevate, a leading online lender that he took public on the New York Stock Exchange. Additionally, he was the founder and CEO of CashWorks, a financial technology company acquired by GE. He is a frequent speaker and writer on financial technology and financial inclusion topics and has been profiled in the New York Times and his opinion pieces have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, American Banker, and Business Insider among other publications. In 2012, Ken was selected by Ernst & Young as an Entrepreneur of the Year and was named a 2017 Innovator to Watch by Bank Innovation. He lives in San Francisco, CA with his wife and dog.