The modern day Gilded Age – in 2010 top one percent captured over half of all income gains. From early 2009 the S&P 500 is up 109 percent but home prices are at new lows falling almost 34 percent.
Most Americans derive their net worth from the equity built up in their homes. This has been the case for many decades. As the stock market races upwards to stratospheric highs it is hard for many average Americans to understand why it is that economically they are stuck in the same place. New tax data [...]
American incomes and low wage America – top 1 percent earn above $343,927, top 5 percent above $154,643, top 10 percent above $112,124, top 25 percent above $66,193, top 50 percent above $32,396 – Over 68,500,000 tax filers, 50 percent of the country, make $32,000 a year or less. Food stamp usage peaks at over 46 million.
A recent report regarding income has thrown a few people off. I think many Americans fail to realize how many people are barely making it day to day financially. Do people realize that we still have 46,000,000+ Americans on food stamps and this coincides perfectly with the booming market in dollar stores? These are not [...]
The great deleveraging event – household debt has fallen 4 percent since recession hit. Household debt has fallen dramatically from the peak when household debt aligned itself with annual GDP.
The debt bubble bursting has jammed the bottom line of American households. Debt and money are synonymous for many households in our current economy. The ability to spend, or buying capacity, is looked at in the same light as savings from many in the financial sector. This is why data recently released shows the balance [...]
The punishment of the American saver – JP Morgan Chase CEO makes 843 times the median household income and pays his Chase customers 0.01 percent on their savings.
The current financial system is designed to punish old school savers. By definition in our debt based economy those who save are actually taking fuel out of the consumption based economy. Spendthrifts are the high octane that keeps things spinning even if it comes with a high debt price tag. You see this occurring in [...]
While D.C. and Wall Street burns the middle class flails – top 10 percent control 98 percent of all financial security wealth. For stocks and mutual funds bottom 90 percent controls only 19 percent of total assets.
Part of the unfortunate theatre being played out in the political arena is that little focus and energy is being placed on the issues plaguing the middle class. The interests of the big financial banks continue to dominate what politicians will discuss and the media seems content at rehashing the argument over and over like [...]
The Retirement fantasy – middle class Americans are quickly realizing that a secure retirement future may only be a myth. Stagnant income, debt illusion, and the future outlook for working Americans.
Americans are having a tougher time finding extra disposable income to save and create wealth. It is hard to plan for the future when you are worrying about having enough money to purchase a couple of frozen meals. When looking at overall statistics we rarely get a glimpse at how tough things have become for [...]
The brittle financial American middle class – 50 percent of Americans would be in financial trouble if $2,000 of expenses came up in 30 days. By 2020 the world’s richest households will control $202 trillion in wealth, 4 times current global GDP.
This economic recovery has excluded working and middle class Americans which begs the question, what really defines a financial recovery? In past and distant recoveries the economic gains were widely distributed amongst all Americans. Most realize that income gains will never be equal simply because in a market based economy those with certain desirable skills [...]
The hidden gigantic risk of derivatives – Top 77 U.S. banks have their hand in $225 trillion in derivatives. The top 5 banks hold $7.8 trillion of all banking assets growing their asset base by $1.7 trillion from 2007.
The concentration of banking risk in the United States is immense. The Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury like to convey a pretense that we have a very diverse banking system with over 7,800 banking institutions. In the mind of most of the public, this seems like a very diverse industry. Imagine having 7,800 different kinds [...]
Wealth inequality rivals the months prior to the Great Depression – Americans would prefer a more evenly distributed wealth system. Over 80 percent of Americans still feel we are in a recession.
The official announcement that the recession is over underscores the massive disconnect between Wall Street and the rest of America. Wealth inequality in America is at levels last seen right before the Great Depression ravaged our economy. Yet the inequality has grown even more intense as this crisis has gone forward. 43 million Americans are [...]
The Ultimate Ponzi Scheme – FDIC is Backing $5.3 Trillion through the Deposit Insurance Fund that now has a Balance of -$20.8 Billion. FDIC has Cash and Marketable Securities of $66 Billion. Is that Really Enough to Back Every Account for $250,000?
The FDIC is running the biggest confidence game in the country. The FDIC is now protecting through the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) some $5.3 trillion in deposits in banks across the country. All of this is secured by an insurance fund that is now in the negative by $20.8 billion. In the middle of this [...]
