Understanding clients’ needs is essential to fulfilling Alliance’s social goals and mission. The life stories research was undertaken with the purpose of gathering relevant information about client demand for financial services and financial education, and consequently to allow Alliance to design and develop the most suitable products to satisfy client needs. The life stories showcased in this paper have been gathered from in depth interviews, which touch upon several aspects of Alliance clients’ lives. The stories are meant to provide a comprehensive overview of the clients’ life-cycles with a distinctive focus on vulnerabilities, risks coping mechanisms and asset building strategies used throughout life, as well as on the role of formal and informal financial tools with which they have come into contact.