Our Policy & Research Work
Our Policy & Research work complements our main objective of directly helping people of all ages to stay on top of their money. It keeps the profile of Financial Education and Financial Wellbeing high on the agenda, influencing policy-makers, regulators and key decision-makers.
We focus our Policy work on six key areas:
We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to develop the skills to help them manage their money effectively, and ultimately become secure and confident when thinking about their finances in the present and long term. Therefore, Financial Wellbeing & Capability are central policy themes for us.
We think that support should be available to people throughout their lives as their needs change and grow, so the way in which this is delivered is hugely important from our perspective.
It is crucial that people begin to develop these skills early on in their lives, which is why Financial Education for young people in schools and colleges has been one of our key policy focuses. It has been a statutory requirement to teach Financial Education as part of the national curriculum in England since 2014. However, the delivery has been patchy and inconsistent, with may teachers unaware that Financial Education is even part of the curriculum. Much more work needs to be done to make this a reality.
Robust Financial Regulation is important as well, by ensuring that the market for financial products operates fairly and transparently, as well as enabling consumers to make informed decisions about their money. Financial Regulation can also help to improve levels of Financial Inclusion, for example, by protecting access to cash, in person banking services, and making sure that financial products remain accessible.
Low levels of Financial Capability increase the risk of someone using Credit and getting into
unmanageable levels of Debt, so our policy work encompasses these areas.
From the school curriculum to pensions, we regularly engage with government departments, regulators and other organisations on a wide range of issues through Consultation Responses. Our focus is on ensuring that policies support people to manage their money, prevent them from getting into financial difficulty, as well as to help them if this does happen.
We also produce a monthly report with the latest statistics around debt, personal finance and more, The Money Statistics. The report is widely used by regulators, trade associations, the media and the third sector, providing an objective viewpoint of, and lots of useful information about, the current situation in the UK.
We are developing our Policy in each of the above areas in greater detail, as well as undertaking more research to highlight the importance of staying on top of your money. If you want to find out more, please contact us.