The Age Old question, Which Comes First?
This study posits a conceptual framework for how children’s savings affects children’s college-bound identity. Findings suggest that savings has modest effects on college-bound identity and vice versa. A policy implication is that asset building policies that seek to build children’s college-bound identity in addition to their savings may be more effective than policies that only seek to build children’s savings.

Enhancing Federal Higher Education Tax Credits
This policy paper details a proposal to deliver the American Opportunity Tax Credit to students as early as 8th grade in order to incentivize savings, as well as reform the current Saver's Credit to include 529 plans and other college savings vehicles.

San Francisco Kindergarten-to-College Featured on CNN

CNN's Dan Simon profiles San Francisco's Kindergarten-to-College Program, an innovative program that will open a college savings account for each kindergartener entering the city's public schools.

New America Event: College Savings 101: Addressing the Gap Between Aspirations and Affordability

CSD's Michael Sherraden named to TIME Magazine’s TIME 100
TIME Magazine has named Michael Sherraden, PhD, founder and director of the Center Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, to the 2010 TIME 100, the magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Toward More Inclusive College Savings Plans: Sample State Legislation
A number of states have created inclusive policy strategies to make their college savings plans more accessible and easier to use for families at all income levels. These strategies include: facilitate enrollment and contributions, remove saving disincentives, increase saving incentives, and strengthen tax benefits. In this report, the Center for Social Development examines these inclusive state policy strategies, describes their application through legislative and administrative means, and points to specific examples.

529s and Public Assistance
Rourke O'Brien examines the relationship between 529 college savings plans and asset limits for public assistance programs such as TANF and Medicaid, and how simple policy changes could remove a real barrier to saving.

Help People Save by... Simplifying the FAFSA?
Mark Huelsman looks at proposed changes to the FAFSA, and how they might remove barriers to saving.

New CSD Research: Assets and Liabilities, Educational Expectations, and Children’s College Degree Attainment
Building on an emerging area of research, a new study by the Center for Social Development examines household assets (financial and nonfinancial) and liabilities (secured and unsecured) and their association with later attainment of a bachelor’s degree. The authors also investigate relationships of assets and liabilities with educational expectations of both parents and children.