Democratizing financial guidance: Early lessons from SaverLife’s AI-powered Navigator
An update on how we’re putting AI to work for positive impact.
SaverLife’s Navigator: Getting personal
Imagine a financial guide in every pocket. One that remembers your goals, reviews your accounts, answers your questions, and nudges you toward next steps—without fees and with a focus on your unique needs and priorities.
That’s the vision we set out to achieve with our app: democratize high-quality, personalized financial guidance to support our members as they navigate complex financial lives. With more than 720,000 members nationwide who are often facing financial vulnerability, we hear every day about the need for trusted, tailored support, especially when it can seem like there are no good options.
As Courtney from Alabama described when faced with a costly home repair: “I had to really sit down and think, ‘do I wipe out my emergency fund to fix the floor? Or do I take out a loan and go back into debt again?’” Over and over again, we’ve heard from our members that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for financial stability.
Building toward the vision
With support from GitLab Foundation, JPMC, and Goodman Family Philanthropies, we launched the first phase of a fully personalized SaverLife experience through an AI-powered financial navigator. The Navigator draws on SaverLife content and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau resources on budgeting, credit, investing, retirement, taxes, and savings. It also incorporates member-provided data—such as financial goals, demographics, and in-app activity—to deliver curated tips through a conversational interface. AI-powered technology opens up the opportunity to provide much needed support and direction that is tailored to each member’s unique goals, resources, and circumstances, and responds to the financial challenges our members face every day – creating their own map toward financial health.
Early learnings
We’re transforming our platform into a financial navigator—powered by behavioral science and real-time data. Most importantly, we are designing, testing, and refining the Navigator with members at the center. After two rounds of user testing and a beta launch with 200 members, we have expanded our testing to over 1,400 members. Early results are promising: Without significant promotion, 44% have engaged with the Navigator, and randomized testing shows nearly 50% higher retention after seven weeks for those with access to the Navigator compared to those without.
From this early rollout, three key lessons stand out:
- Members value a judgment-free zone: Empathy matters. Members told us that not feeling judged—especially by an AI tool—made it easier to ask hard questions. One said, “Talking to a person about money can feel embarrassing… I like that this doesn’t judge you—it just helps you figure things out.” To reinforce this, we highlight that the navigator is AI-powered and avoid giving it a human name.
- Transparency about data usage builds trust—and value: Members quickly recognized that the navigator was using data they had previously shared with us. Some were surprised, but most wanted us to lean into personalization, as one put it: “If I’m asking for help with budgeting or paying off debt, then that kind of information is important—it’s relevant to the support I’m looking for.” We added onboarding screens to show what data is used and give members control. So far, no one has opted out of using their data to personalize the experience, and some have even connected their bank accounts after seeing the value.
- Different members, different journeys: Members using the navigator fall into three broad user types: explorers (curious but tentative), quick-help seekers (looking for immediate answers to pressing issues like rent assistance), and learners (seeking deeper resources like retirement planning or self-employment taxes). Recognizing these patterns helps us design diverse entry points and response types so members can get what they need—whether that’s a quick answer or a deeper dive.
What’s next
The needs and priorities of our members are shaping where the navigator goes next. Based on their feedback and their engagement with the Navigator, we are:
- Expanding functionality through focused use-cases based on the most common financial challenges our members face, beginning with debt reduction.
- Adding smart prompts to help members articulate their financial situations.
- Deepening personalization so the navigator remembers context and reduces repetition.
- Introducing proactive reminders about goals and next steps, a feature members strongly requested.
The navigator is still early in its journey, but these lessons already highlight the promise of human-centered AI. When driven by the right team and a purpose to use technology for good, AI has the potential to be empathetic, transparent, and adaptable to those it serves. For SaverLife, this work isn’t just about building a chatbot. We know we can’t tech our way out of pervasive financial insecurity. It’s about building trust, reducing barriers, and creating a future where every household—regardless of income—has a guide to help them navigate their financial life with confidence.
We know we can’t do this alone. If you’re a funder, policymaker, or innovator who shares our belief in democratizing access to financial guidance, we invite you to join us—by partnering, sharing insights, or helping us scale this work. Together, we can ensure that every household has the tools and support they need to build financial stability.