Student debt is a dangerous bubble that is piling unprecedented levels of debt on young people.
Houses and cars power recoveries. And young people aren’t buying either. That’s a New York Fed study conclusion and that can be easily read as blaming student debt for holding back the recovery by squashing home and auto sales.
Job sprawl stalls in metropolitan areas.
As policymakers and regional leaders work to grow jobs and connect residents to economic opportunity following the Great Recession, where jobs locate matters. The location of employment within a metro area intersects with a range of policy issues—from transportation to workforce development to regional innovation—that affect a region’s long-term health, prosperity, and social inclusion.
American adults who have a job (or are looking for a job) has fallen to its lowest point since 1979, hovering around 63 percent. Thirty-seven percent of working-age Americans aren’t working. But, what are they doing? Bloomberg Businessweek gives us a snapshot of 2013 with this amazing infographic above.
Continue reading… “37 percent of working-age Americans aren’t working, but what are they doing?”
During the post-recession years, each generation of Americans have suffered in its own way. The only age group that has managed to go the past year without reducing its unemployment rate is the 20-to-24-year olds.
Continue reading… “20-somethings are the only age group with higher unemployment than a year ago”
The Great Recession and the weak recovery darkened the retirement picture for significant numbers of Americans.
A majority of Americans are headed toward a retirement in which they will be financially worse off than their parents for the first time since the New Deal. This jeopardizes a long era of improved living standards for the nation’s elderly, according to a growing consensus of new research.
Continue reading… “Most future retirees face fiscal troubles”
Great male crisis
There is a huge debate in western societies regarding what is called “The great male crisis”. The argument is simple: Men are quickly falling behind women, In the western societies that promote gender equality and free education, women are becoming better educated than men and are earning more. Boys aren’t faring as well as girls in school and college education, and this is being reflected in the job market.
Christmas in America seems to be getting more extravagant.
With just a few days until Christmas day, many shoppers are feverishly trying to find the perfect meaningful gifts for everyone on their list. commercialization of the American Christmas plays a very big part in how much the average American pays for all of his or her holiday expenses. Between gifts, holiday parties and decorations, Christmas in America seems to be getting more and more extravagant. Here is a look at the average cost of an American Christmas and a glance at why the cost of the holidays is steadily rising.
Continue reading… “The average cost of Christmas in America”
821,000 households opted out of the banking system from 2009 to 2011.
More Americans have limited or no interaction with banks in the aftermath of one of the worst recessions in history. Instead more people are relying on check cashers and payday lenders to manage their finances, according to a new federal report.
Continue reading… “Growing number of Americans are opting out of the banking system”
Many workers who have lost their jobs have defaulted on 401(k) loans.
The number of displaced workers has risen dramatically since the start of the Great Recession, and this year a third of them had to raid retirement savings to make ends meet.
Continue reading… “35% of laid-off workers have raided their retirement savings”
The number of women earning more than their husbands had gradually been rising for years.
Julee Schirmacher has found herself in a spot that has become familiar to many families over the past few years since her husband was laid off last fall. She works full-time for a marketing company and, for now, her husband stays home and takes care of the couple’s two kids, ages 5 and 2.
Economic slowdown is part of a continued drop in the mobility of all Americans.
The bad economy has caused aging Baby Boomers who dreamed of retiring in the sun near Florida beaches or Arizona deserts have hit a speed bump.
Continue reading… “Economy slows down out-of-state retirements”
The number of Americans who lack access to basic necessities like food and health care is now higher than it was at the peak of the Great Recession, a survey released Thursday found. And in a finding that could worsen fears of U.S. decline, the share of Americans struggling to put food on the table is now three times as large as the share of the Chinese population in the same position.
Continue reading… “19% of Americans struggle to put food on the table”