I am Inflation, Destroyer of Worlds: Poor and Middle Class Get Smashed by Inflation.
Inflation, inflation, and inflation. People tend to think that inflation merely means higher prices. Yet the type of inflation we are dealing with is extremely problematic. Inflation is running at a multi-decade high clip at 6.2% annualized and it may be even worse since the way we measure inflation is an imperfect science. Inflation punishes […]
The secret to the current recovery is that American households are up to their eyeballs in debt once again! Consumer credit hits a record $3.7 trillion.
Do you notice more credit card offers hitting your mailbox? Are you noticing more “easy financing†for purchasing a new car? Welcome to the new recovery where spending is being fueled by consumer credit.  Once again people are spending beyond their means. In an economy driven by consumption you need to keep people spending and […]
With a recovery like this, who needs a recession: 62 percent of Americans don’t even have $1000 in savings.
The stock market just hit another record high. Yet only half of Americans actually own any stock. Real estate prices are ebbing closer to their previous bubble peak. Yet the homeownership rate is down. The unemployment rate is down dramatically but we have over 94 million Americans not in the labor force. This recovery seems […]
Once upon a time, there was a middle class: This election year will determine whether the middle class falls into obscurity.
In the not too distant past the United States had a vibrant middle class. Prosperity for most families was the rule rather than the exception. This didn’t happen by accident or some odd twist of luck. It happened because as a country we setup a foundation that valued a robust middle class. The Great Depression […]