Going Broke on $50,000: The Story of the Struggling American Middle Class. The $50,000 Median Household Budget.
The recent recession is exposing how many American families have been treading on the edge. Problems were already in the system before the recession began but the downturn in the economy was the ultimate catalyst. Many families were using credit cards as a means of supplementing a decade of stagnant wages. The median household income […]
Financial Brinkmanship: Forcing Americans to Spend and Discouraging Savings. Americans Decide to Save Forced by a New Austerity. Banks Offering Zero Percent on Your Savings Account.
Spending more than you earn is a financially devastating recipe for individuals and nations. I’ve read countless pop financial books on how to gain and sustain wealth and those that have any substance always emphasize saving your money, spending less than you earn, and being prudent with your funds. In no book did I ever […]
The End of the Peak Credit Era: 3 Quarters of Contracting Consumer Debt. Credit Card debt Contracts on a Year over Year Basis for First Time Ever.
There is a small silver lining in the unemployment report released on Friday. The positive side was the amount of people being fired slowed down in July (if you can call an annual rate of 3 million layoffs positive). However, there is still a major reluctance for firms to hire. We still have 26,000,000 unemployed […]
The Country that Punishes Savers: Americans Saving 7 percent of Income Putting nearly $800 Billion Annual Rate on the Sidelines. Banks offering 0 to 0.10 Percent to Borrow Your Money.
Americans are increasingly putting more and more money on the sidelines. For the month of May Americans put away 6.9 percent of their income into savings. Not the stock market or real estate but bona fide savings. This is a stark contrast from the zero rates achieved back in April of 2008. When we discussed […]