Is there a “woman tax”? By some account, women pay over $1,300 more annually than men for everything from deodorant to sneakers to health care. They’re not the only group that pays a premium, though. Men are charged thousands more than women in auto insurance over their lifetimes, and there are indications that African-Americans and Hispanics pay more for homes than other ethnic groups. Doesn’t all of this seem sorta illegal?
Over the past 10 years, our population growth has slowed, we’ve found it increasingly hard to leave home to start a career, and our salaries have decreased for the first time on record. But, it’s not all bad news.
For years, many Americans have been stuck below the poverty line, unable to build the kind of assets needed to propel themselves up the economic ladder. This systemic problem brought together authors, government officials and financial experts in New York City last week at an event called Opportunity Nation, hosted at Columbia University.
It’s time to adjust our preconceived notions for how—and where—poor people live. While poverty rates rose throughout the country over the past few years, the sharpest increases occurred not in the “poor” inner city, but the “well off” American suburbs.
For well over half a century, the American dream has typically centered on life in the suburbs. A move to the idyllic suburbs—picket fences, sidewalks, cul-de-sacs, the whole deal—has traditionally signified success, a move up the economic ladder. Lately, however, the ‘burbs host millions more residents living below the poverty level than do America’s “poor” [...]
Tough times have translated into a rise in adult children moving back into (or never leaving) their parent’s homes. This spring, 5.9 million young adults aged 25 to 34 lived with their parents, up from 4.7 million before the recession. And over 45% of them have incomes that’d put them below the poverty threshold.
The fragile economy pushed more Americans into poverty last year, according to the Census Bureau, as median household income fell from the year before.
If you live in an area served by Comcast and your kids receive free lunches at school through the National School Lunch Program, you may qualify for a new Internet service from Comcast, which costs just $9.95 a month.
A group of economists is suggesting a radical, if obvious, way to reduce poverty in developing countries: Just give poor people money.
Could dog poop help communities meet their energy needs? Should the government give signing bonuses to unemployed people who accept job offers?
In Part I of this consumer factoid extravaganza, we learned all sorts of weird info about spending habits, housing costs, and family expenditures. For the sequel, we’re dealing with moms, Mexicans, McDonald’s, men’s dwindling DIY skills, the earning power of maiden names, how using a cell phone can be a sign of poverty, grandparents stealing [...]
