Most Popular
1. Banking Crisis is Stocks Bull Market Buying Opportunity - Nadeem_Walayat
2.The Crypto Signal for the Precious Metals Market - P_Radomski_CFA
3. One Possible Outcome to a New World Order - Raymond_Matison
4.Nvidia Blow Off Top - Flying High like the Phoenix too Close to the Sun - Nadeem_Walayat
5. Apple AAPL Stock Trend and Earnings Analysis - Nadeem_Walayat
6.AI, Stocks, and Gold Stocks – Connected After All - P_Radomski_CFA
7.Stock Market CHEAT SHEET - - Nadeem_Walayat
8.US Debt Ceiling Crisis Smoke and Mirrors Circus - Nadeem_Walayat
9.Silver Price May Explode - Avi_Gilburt
10.More US Banks Could Collapse -- A Lot More- EWI
Last 7 days
Stock Market Volatility (VIX) - 25th Mar 24
Stock Market Investor Sentiment - 25th Mar 24
The Federal Reserve Didn't Do Anything But It Had Plenty to Say - 25th Mar 24
Stock Market Breadth - 24th Mar 24
Stock Market Margin Debt Indicator - 24th Mar 24
It’s Easy to Scream Stocks Bubble! - 24th Mar 24
Stocks: What to Make of All This Insider Selling- 24th Mar 24
Money Supply Continues To Fall, Economy Worsens – Investors Don’t Care - 24th Mar 24
Get an Edge in the Crypto Market with Order Flow - 24th Mar 24
US Presidential Election Cycle and Recessions - 18th Mar 24
US Recession Already Happened in 2022! - 18th Mar 24
AI can now remember everything you say - 18th Mar 24
Bitcoin Crypto Mania 2024 - MicroStrategy MSTR Blow off Top! - 14th Mar 24
Bitcoin Gravy Train Trend Forecast 2024 - 11th Mar 24
Gold and the Long-Term Inflation Cycle - 11th Mar 24
Fed’s Next Intertest Rate Move might not align with popular consensus - 11th Mar 24
Two Reasons The Fed Manipulates Interest Rates - 11th Mar 24
US Dollar Trend 2024 - 9th Mar 2024
The Bond Trade and Interest Rates - 9th Mar 2024
Investors Don’t Believe the Gold Rally, Still Prefer General Stocks - 9th Mar 2024
Paper Gold Vs. Real Gold: It's Important to Know the Difference - 9th Mar 2024
Stocks: What This "Record Extreme" Indicator May Be Signaling - 9th Mar 2024
My 3 Favorite Trade Setups - Elliott Wave Course - 9th Mar 2024
Bitcoin Crypto Bubble Mania! - 4th Mar 2024
US Interest Rates - When WIll the Fed Pivot - 1st Mar 2024
S&P Stock Market Real Earnings Yield - 29th Feb 2024
US Unemployment is a Fake Statistic - 29th Feb 2024
U.S. financial market’s “Weimar phase” impact to your fiat and digital assets - 29th Feb 2024
What a Breakdown in Silver Mining Stocks! What an Opportunity! - 29th Feb 2024
Why AI will Soon become SA - Synthetic Intelligence - The Machine Learning Megatrend - 29th Feb 2024
Keep Calm and Carry on Buying Quantum AI Tech Stocks - 19th Feb 24

Market Oracle FREE Newsletter

How to Protect your Wealth by Investing in AI Tech Stocks

This Economy Left Millions of Americans Behind

Politics / Social Issues Jul 16, 2019 - 05:50 PM GMT

By: Patrick_Watson

Politics Remember “No Child Left Behind,” George W. Bush’s education reform plan? Congress passed it in 2001.

Whether that law actually helped is subject to debate, but Bush picked a good name for it. Humans are social creatures. Our instincts tell us to make sure no one in our tribe gets “left behind,” economically or otherwise.

That instinct breaks down sometimes. Or we disagree about who belongs in our tribe. It’s a big problem in either case.

Hence, when people say even the poorest Americans live better than their grandparents did, or better than those in other countries, they miss the point.

Past generations and people overseas are the wrong comparison. We get angry when our own group leaves us behind.


Millions of Americans feel that way. And the data say they aren’t wrong.

Unhappy Quarter

In 2013, the Federal Reserve began conducting a yearly “Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking,” under the catchy acronym “SHED.” It measures the economic well-being of US families and identifies possible risks.

The latest SHED found 34% of adult Americans say they are “living comfortably.” Another 41% report they are “doing okay.” So 75% of us are generally satisfied, economically.

That sounds great, and in one sense it is. The 2013 SHED found only 62% were in those two groups. So to now have three-quarters satisfied is a significant improvement.

The problem is 75% ≠ 100%, and millions of people aren’t economically satisfied.

Specifically, 18% of us think we are “just getting by,” and 7% are “finding it difficult to get by.”

We lack historical data for comparison, but to me, this seems high.

Note, being satisfied doesn’t require any particular income or net worth. Lots of well-paid people think they are just getting by, and some low-income folks believe they’re doing okay.

But however you slice it, one-fourth of the adult population thinks it is being left behind. This is a problem.

No Cushion

This month the current expansion became the longest in postwar history. Unemployment is historically low. So why are so many people unsatisfied?

SHED has some other data that helps explain.

Just as seat cushions let you sit more comfortably, a financial cushion helps you feel more secure. Conversely, lack of a cushion makes you more anxious.

The SHED researchers asked respondents how they would cover a $400 unexpected expense. That’s really not much. A toothache, an emergency room visit (even if you’re insured), a minor car repair—all can easily run $400 or more.

Some 61% of Americans say they could cover such an emergency with cash, savings, or a credit card they paid off the next month.

But almost four out of ten Americans would have to borrow the money, sell something, turn to relatives, or just give up.

That’s not all. Even without emergencies, 17% of adults said they expected to miss some of their routine bill payments that month. And not always for luxuries; 7% expected to leave rent, mortgage, or utilities at least partially unpaid.

Adding it all together, the SHED data show about one-third of US adults either can’t pay all their bills or are one small problem away from it.

If you’re reading this, you probably aren’t in that group. But don’t rest easy.

Tight Spot

Some of these people who can’t pay their bills probably made unwise choices. But it is still the case that…
  • Lenders and retailers entice people into buying things they shouldn’t, and
  • Even life’s basic necessities often cost more than they should.

So before you condemn them, consider the possibility you may join them.

While the SHED data show some improvement since 2013, it coincided with a growing economy and falling unemployment. Neither will continue once the next recession strikes. Which could be soon.

If a third of the population can’t pay its bills today, how big will that group be when unemployment rises to 8% or more?

That’s not a crazy idea. It was reality as recently as 2013. 

When (not if) that happens, the number of economically distressed Americans is going to rise considerably. Probably to more than half the population—enough to force major political change in an attempt to ease its pain.

Those who are perceived to have caused that pain will be in a tight spot. Their best move: Act now to help those millions of left-behind Americans.

As far as I can tell, most aren’t. They’re too busy enjoying their own good fortune.

This isn’t likely to end well.    

The Great Reset: The Collapse of the Biggest Bubble in History

 New York Times best-seller and renowned financial expert John Mauldin predicts an unprecedented financial crisis that could trigger in the next five years. Most investors seem completely unaware of the relentless pressure that’s building right now. Learn more here.

By Patrick_Watson

© 2019 Copyright Patrick_Watson - All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.


© 2005-2022 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.


Post Comment

Only logged in users are allowed to post comments. Register/ Log in