Economy: Today’s homes cannot be compared to 1950s-1970s homes
Another comparison of homes from 1970 to today. The differences are huge, making price comparisons useless.
Economy: Americans pay 96% of Trump’s tariff costs
Trump goes full protectionism, seeks to have Americans pay higher prices for most everything, declares free trade over.
Economy: Percent of household income spent on food
The percent of income spent on food has plummeted over the past century.
Economy: “Home prices have quadrupled relative to income”
This finance influencer chart is bogus.
Economy: What % of households have 0, 1, 2 or 2+ income earners
55-70% of US households have zero or one wage earner, contrary to the memes about "two wage earners" can't afford to live in the U.S. today.
Economy: What caused the Great Depression?
Speculative investments in stocks and real estate, fragile banking system, Federal reserve policy mistakes that made things worse. And what about "late stage capitalism"?
Personal finance: Klarna and personal finance
Is use of Buy Now, Pay Later a sign of stretched budgets? No. Almost all purchases are discretionary in nature, not necessities.
Demographics, housing: What happened to mobile home parks?
Trailer parks/courts once provided low-cost housing options in the U.S. Since 1970, 1 in 3 trailer parks have closed.
Gen Z: “Choosing the soft life”
Gen Z says "Boomers had it easy" but simultaneously says they reject the work and burnout culture of their parents. A bit of a contradiction.
Social Security was designed as a mostly “pay-as-you-go” system
In the 1980s onward, Social Security was a "pay as you go" system, about 90% funded by then current workers, who also funded the "trust fund".