Financial advice, policies, and products should too.

Because many working families aren’t saving for the long term, it is widely assumed that they are not saving at all. That’s not necessarily true. Research from the US Financial Diaries project shows that many working families do save. But they save for the short term — not the long term.

Brandi and Frank can’t predict their monthly income, so budgeting and saving for the long-term isn’t easy. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t saving.

When the problem is not having the right money at the right time, many families turn to payday lenders, pawn shops, and other alternative financial services.

Access all charts here.