it's my honor to introduce professor edin is the bloomberg professor. she insisted that i call her cafÉ cafÉ which is uncomfortable but i will. kathy and her co-authors provide a clear picture of a complex financial lives of americans in this country. it's a phenomenal book. i encourage each and every one and every wanted one of you to get a copy of it. it's moving and insightful and is quite prescriptive which is important for this crowd. they are great proposals for reform that we can talk about today so please join me in welcoming kathy says she can tell us all about it. [applause] >> i look like one person but i'm actually five people. lisa adams is the best literary agent of the nation. if not she's the best for academics who want to write things people want to read. also my co-authors sera laura and jan brewer my graduate students three graduations, three academic jobs three marriages and they are now people and scholars in their own right. imagine a cast of five up here as i speak. i'm going to start with a story about my former dean at the kenne

you met kathy edin the distinguished professor at johns hopkins university. can't say enough about the book that you undergo authors have recently published. it's not like i'm poor. i know you're not going to pocket, i think he should. seated at the next table is chye-ching huang senior tax policy analyst at a d.c.-based think tank center on budget and policy priorities. welcome, chye-ching. at the end of the table there is barbara mantegani past president and current board member of the kennedy tax age which runs these critical vita sites throughout the d.c. area. so let's get right to it. i'm going to start with laurie piccolo background information about you laura, first that you have shared with me that folks here would be interested in. you face the prospect of being a single mother without a high school diploma, but you graduate high school on time. you went on to earn a ba in public health at the university of maryland, college park. i am a melander myself. he went on to earn a masters in public administration with honors i believe at the university of

k >> this questionat is for professor edin. does any of your recent research give us any insights about how we can help those low income taxpayers become more aware of free tax preparation either in inc person, like at the vita sites or online like my free taxes.com? >> yeah. so it is really hard to compete with those dancing tax men, right? and tax women onte the corner.orner. you know it is interesting, in b boston, of course, the -- there has been a very long-term and ganiza vigorous campaign, the abcd community organization which has, you know, offices to our hood friends in almost every boston neighborhood is a major provider of the eitc -- the vita free taxinstitut preparation. it is really hasize institutionalized way there that gets underneath your fingers. you have competition from h&r block and all the competitors and the possibility of getting your refund early. if we can attack the debt piece if we can figure out how to make work pay all of the year, i lovef the idea of allowing people to withdraw $500 midyear to av

thanks. >> my question is for professor kathryn edin. how we can help low income taxpayers become more aware of tax preparation either in person, like at the vita site or online? >> it is hard to compete with those dancing tax men and women on the corner. it is interesting, there has been a long-term and vigorous campaign. the abcd community organization which has offices and storefronts in almost every block and neighborhood free tax preparation. it has become institutionalized in a way that gets underneath your fingers. however you have this powerful competition from h&r block and all of its competitors and the possibility of getting a refund early. if we can figure out how to make work pay. i love the idea of allowing people to withdraw $500 midyear to avoid a financial cascade. we need to think more carefully about ways to not let debt be the driver of which door you enter when tax refunds become available. >> right here. [inaudible question] online preparation service, and i am wondering if you could talk about that from a supply an