Why it matters
Widespread lack of financial stability has devastating effects on individuals, families, communities, and ultimately our national stability.
Deaths of despair
The average lifespan in the United States has declined every year since 2016. The reason for this, to a large extent, is deaths of despair - people drinking themselves to death, accidentally overdosing on opioids and other drugs, and committing suicide.
Life has gotten too hard for too many, and it's literally killing us. If this has not impacted you personally, count your blessings.
The Broken Ladder
How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die
The levels of inequality in the world today are on a scale that have not been seen in our lifetimes, yet the disparity between rich and poor has ramifications that extend far beyond mere financial means. In The Broken Ladder psychologist Keith Payne examines how inequality divides us not just economically; it also has profound consequences for how we think, how we respond to stress, how our immune systems function, and even how we view moral concepts such as justice and fairness.
This Is What Life Without Retirement Savings Looks Like
Many seniors are stuck with lives of never-ending work—a fate that could befall millions in the coming decades. Atlantic article by Alana Semuels
The median savings in a 401(k) plan for people aged 55 to 64 is currently just $15,000, whereas others have no access to retirement plans through employers altogether.
“This will be the first time that we have a lot of people who find themselves downwardly mobile as they grow older,” Diane Oakley, the executive director of the National Institute on Retirement Security, told me. “They’re going to go from being near-poor to poor.”
Book TV After Words: Linda Tirado, "Hand to Mouth"
In her first book, Linda Tirado talks about how she went from middle class to lower class to poor, demonstrating what she says is the need for a safety net for those on "the bottom rungs of society's ladder." She talks with Tracey Ross, Senior Policy Analyst on Poverty for the Center for American Progress.
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Insulin's High Cost Leads To Lethal Rationing
NPR Article
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a terrible way to die. It's what happens when you don't have enough insulin. Your blood sugar gets so high that your blood becomes highly acidic, your cells dehydrate, and your body stops functioning. Diabetic ketoacidosis is how Nicole Smith-Holt lost her son. Three days before his payday. Because he couldn't afford his insulin.
13 Stories of Life on a Teacher's Salary
Time Article
Despite nationwide walk-outs and protests in the spring of 2018, most teachers face the same conditions — including low pay, crumbling facilities, and outdated textbooks — as they return to their classrooms this fall. But those conditions don’t only make their work difficult. TIME spoke with teachers across the country about their personal financial situations to see how wage stagnation has affected their day-to-day lives. Read their stories below.