Although there has been mixed evidence from research on the efficacy of financial education efforts for youth, there is an emerging consensus that focusing on financial capability may be a more effective approach. This article examines the impact of the MyPath Savings pilot on 275 economically disadvantaged youth participating in a youth development and employment program. MyPath Savings targets youth earning their first paycheck-a critical "teachable moment" to promote savings and connect youth with mainstream financial products. The results indicate that MyPath Savings is highly relevant to participants' needs. In addition, youth experienced significant increases in financial knowledge, financial self-efficacy, and the frequency with which positive financial behaviors were carried out. Participants also saved an average of $507 through MyPath Savings. Gains in financial capability were mostly independent of the youths' race, gender, household income, and public benefits receipt. Possible factors for the promising results are discussed.

Asset building is a growing theme in public policy, and building assets from birth in the form of Child Development Accounts is now occurring in several countries. This article provides an overview of the Child Development Account policies in Singapore, Canada, the UK and Korea, and the proposed policy in the USA. The key elements of inclusiveness, progressivity, coherence and integration, and development are explicated and discussed.

This study examines savings outcomes in the first large-scale demonstration of Child Development Accounts (CDAs) in the United States-the Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship, and Downpayment (SEED) initiative. It is also the first empirical study, to our knowledge, to investigate associations between savings outcomes and incentives in an asset-building program for children. This study enhances knowledge about saving in CDAs, incentives in public policy in general, and incentives in savings policy in particular. Results can inform CDA policy design.

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Several countries, including Canada, Singapore and the United Kingdom, have enacted asset-based policies for children in recent years. The premise underlying these policies is that increases in assets lead to improvement in various child outcomes over time. But little existing research examines this premise from a dynamic perspective. Using data from the NLSY79 mother and child datasets, two parallel process latent growth curve models are estimated to examine the effects of parental asset accumulation on changes in children's achievements over six years during middle childhood. Results indicate that the initial level of assets is positively associated with math scores, but not reading scores, while faster asset accumulation is associated with changes in reading scores, but not in math scores. Overall, the results suggest that the relationship between assets and various child outcomes may not be straight-forward. Different dimensions of the asset experience may lead to different outcomes, and the same dimension may also have different effects. Implications for future research and for asset-based policies are discussed.

Although there is no universal approach to offering Child Development Accounts (CDAs), this paper introduces a framework for an age-based conceptual model that describes how such accounts might influence indicators of child wellbeing. With a focus on optimal age-appropriate development beginning at birth and ranging through young adulthood, the model incorporates research from multiple disciplines to include direct effects, indirect effects and critical milestones. We review empirical evidence from national datasets (primarily from the United States, but including research from other developed countries) to provide a context for this framework. This conceptual and empirical backdrop provides a starting point from which to critique key dimensions of CDA policy and consider potential implications of such an approach. Suggestions for future research are offered.

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