Talking about Poverty: Re-examining Basic Needs
By Kathryn Hazelett Editor’s note: This is one in a series of blog posts to critically examine how poverty is defined, measured, and talked about, and how those conversations influence public policy. Now that we’ve explored the ins and outs of how we define and...
Is It Possible to Build Wealth in College?
Working for Southern Bancorp as a “wealth builder for everyone” has made me take a closer look at my own finances. As mentioned in previous blogs, I’ve spent the last year reducing debt and saving automatically in an effort to increase my net worth, and I’m often told...Talking about Poverty: In Need of a Refresh
By Kathryn Hazelett Editor’s note: This is part of a series of blog posts to critically examine how poverty is defined, measured, and talked about, and how those conversations influence public policy. Mollie Orshansky figured out “how” we measure poverty. Her method...
A Big Idea: Banking on Building Empathy
By James Owen Most of us don’t think twice about how easy it is to access money. If you’re like me, it’s so easy you can do it before your first cup of coffee. Select, swipe, sip. But for too many Arkansans, just accessing their money is a challenge. Nationally, seven...
Talking about Poverty: Food Costs in the 1950s
By Kathryn Hazelett Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of blog posts to critically examine how poverty is defined, measured, and talked about, and how those conversations influence public policy. I know, I know. We’ve been talking about poverty. Why are we...
Pay Day Super Saving
Have you ever looked at the calendar and been excited to see five Fridays or perhaps even five Wednesdays in a month? For many of us, that excitement comes from knowing we’re going to receive an “extra” paycheck. Those who get paid bi-weekly (depending on which day of...
Talking about Poverty: Measurement
By Kathryn Hazelett Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of blog posts to critically examine how poverty is defined, measured, and talked about, and how those conversations influence public policy. Last week, we started our series on poverty with a discussion...
Talking about Poverty: Basic Needs
By Kathryn Hazelett Nearly 225,000 families live below the poverty line in Arkansas and Mississippi.[1] While we hear and talk about poverty a lot, we’re not always talking the same language. This is the first post in a series looking at how we define poverty, how we...