Get Paid to Save

America has a problem with saving. An estimated 47% of Americans cannot access $400 in an emergency without going into debt or selling something.

Families with a savings cushion of just $250 to $749 are less likely to be evicted, miss a payment, or receive public benefits after a financial shock like losing a job. But how can a person start when they are already stretched?

WorkLife Partnership recently partnered with EARN.org, a nonprofit aimed at helping people start saving funds. Our project with EARN will help people get free money for saving. The six-month program offers a $10 match for every $20 a client saves each month. Requirements include a bank account at certain institutions and income at or below 80% of the area median income.

People save for everything from school supplies to a family vacation. Some also just want the security of knowing they have a just-in-case cushion.

Contact your Navigator today to see how you can get paid to save.

For people who aren’t in that income bracket, there are some other ways to save.

Acorns

This is an app that rounds up your purchases to the next dollar and stashes the pennies bit by bit in an account. Some banks offer a similar program. Acorns invest your pocket change into financial products such as stocks and bonds. It’s touted as a way for newbies to start investing on the cheap.

Digit

Digit started as a texting service that connects to your bank account. The service makes tiny withdrawals based on your current financial status. Just got paid? The service will take out a few bucks a day. Eating ramen waiting for payday? It will only take a few pennies a day. Users can send commands via text (or on the app) to save more, deposit your holdings into your savings account, or (SOS!) send money back to your checking account. Digit sends daily texts with your account balance.