Student Research Brief 2.5: Financial Literacy Among South Bend Latinos (296KB)
Mari Jose Sanchez and Kevin B. Marvinac with Karen Richman
December, 2008
This research is intended to offer a community-based perspective on an important and relatively unaddressed issue: financial literacy in the United States, especially among immigrant communities. We studied the Mexican community in the city of South Bend, Indiana, in order to explore four major points of study. While somewhat limited by both depth and breadth in the exploration of these issues, we nonetheless hope that our findings can offer insight and suggest future courses of actions to those involved with the Mexican community in South Bend, as well as other immigrant communities.

Student Research Brief 2.3: Mexican Gangs in South Bend (504KB)
Joey Leary and Sophia Cortez with Karen Richman
December, 2008
Gangs are not unique to this era, to the Hispanic community, or to South Bend. There exists an unmistakable correlation between gang violence and cities, specifically the poorest neighborhoods where immigrant communities tend to be located. In this brief we will discuss how these trends relate to the Mexican population in South Bend. We will also report on the prevalence of gangs in South Bend, exploring themes such as location, ethnic composition, motivation, popular media’s influence, gang violence, and measures being taken to help the youth.

Student Research Brief 2.2: Latino's Housing Dilemma and Their Absence in the Homeless Community of South Bend (472KB)
Alisha Wilkinson, and Nicole Yergler with Karen Richman
December, 2008
The question of why migrants from Mexico make up no more than one percent of the homeless population in South Bend goes along with inquiries into the costs and availability of affordable local housing, where Mexican immigrants are living, and whether they take advantage of local establishments' services (for home owners, renters and the homeless). General housing trends must be taken into account, as well as specific locations of primarily Mexican neighborhoods and business districts. Staff members and research reports from the Notre Dame Institute for Latino Studies are helpful in identifying relevant information about these Mexican communities in South Bend. The use of visuals—photographs of where the Mexican population subsists (neighborhoods, community centers, etc)—will 'put a face' on the questions and issues at hand.

Student Research Brief 2.1: Ethnic Transitions between Poles and Mexicans (560KB)
Greg Podolej with Karen Richman
December, 2008
The city of South Bend has a very diverse ethnic background. The history of this small Midwestern city chronicles both opportunity and depression, community building and segregation, development and disarray. This research brief 1) describes the origins of the Polish community and the role it has played in shaping South Bend, 2) describes and demystifies the entrance of the Mexican community on the South Bend cultural stage, and 3) explains the ethnic transition South Bend has recently experienced.

La Tercera Edad: Latinos’ Pensions, Retirement and Impact on Families (884KB)
Karen Richman, Gia Barboza, Teresa Ghilarducci, and Wei Sun
June, 2008
There is a pressing need to bolster Latinos’ retirement security, according to this report by the Center for Migration and Border Studies (CMBS) in the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies (ILS). Funded by the National Endowment for Financial Education, “La Tercera Edad: Latinos’ Pensions, Retirement and Impact on Families” combines analysis of national data on pensions and financial literacy and focus group studies of Latino workers and retirees in Chicago.

Student Research Brief 1.2: Latino Religions in South Bend (528KB)
Emilie Prot, Stephanie Brauer, Elizabeth Ferrufino, and Jennifer Towey with Karen Richman
March, 2008
Latinos are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States today. This phenomenon has not only brought changes in America’s politics, business and education, but among congregations and parishes. Latinos as a whole are a highly religious ethnic group, with over nine-in-ten associating with a particular religion, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. While Latinos continue to be predominantly Catholic in both Latin America and the U.S., in the post-World War II period Protestantism has been gaining popularity. While there are 68% of Latinos identifying as Catholic, these numbers will fluctuate as conversion to Protestantism increases.

Student Research Brief 1.1: Latino Immigrants in South Bend (440KB)
Kimberly Tavarez, Jenna Adsit, and Emilie Prot with Karen Richman
February, 2008
Latino immigrants in South Bend are a growing population that must be better understood as they continue to become a more dominant presence in our midst. In 1990, census data estimated that about 3% of the South Bend population was Latino. In 2000, that percentage had grown to 8%. Over these ten years, the Latino population grew by 157%, while the African-American population increased by only 20% and the Caucasian population decreased by 11%. While the Latino population continues to grow in South Bend, the overall population is actually decreasing. From 2000 to 2006 the population of South Bend has decreased 3.2%. Other data from the American Community Survey in 2006 suggests that the South Bend population has increased to 11% Latino. The Latino population is consistently growing and this trend is not likely to end anytime soon, though it may ebb and flow under various conditions.

A Focus Group Study On the Effects of Retirement On Latino Families (6.9MB)
Karen Richman
December, 2007
This study of focus group information collected from Latino retirees and Latino working adults reveals that neither the retirees nor their extended families have sufficient income to live comfortably now, let alone to prepare for the future. They help one another adapt to these difficult conditions through informal exchanges of food, childcare, transportation, and money. Latino seniors and Latino working adults are anxious about their own and their children’s future retirement security. They want government and business policies to change in order to address this looming crisis.

Preparing for the Future: Latinos’ Financial Literacy and Retirement Planning (296KB)
Wei Sun, Gia Barboza, Karen Richman
December, 2007
Over the past three decades, the burden of responsibility for retirement savings has shifted from employer to employee. Saving for retirement has changed from an insured, employer-provided benefit to an uninsured employee-provided deduction from a paycheck. When retirement planning and investment decision-making is largely relegated to individuals, financial literacy is essential. Financial illiteracy, however, is widespread throughout the population and is of particular concern for Latinos. Closing the gap between what American workers generally and Latino workers, in particular, need to know to prepare for retirement and their current level of preparation is an urgent need.

Causes of Latinos' Low Pension Coverage (405KB)
Teresa Ghilarducci, Karen Richman and Wei Sun
November, 2007
This study advances the current literature on Latinos’ pension participation by separating voluntary exclusion from the involuntary exclusion. Logistic regression analysis of the 2001 Survey of Income Program Participants (SIPP) reveals that immigrant status and country of origin explain why Latinos would voluntarily opt out of participating in their employer’s pension plan. Policy reforms that would bolster Latino retirement income security include encouraging plan coverage of part-time and seasonal workers, offering refundable tax credits to low-income workers, requiring automatic enrollment, and enfranchising Latinos into the US financial and Social Security systems.