Mortgage rates barely slipped—call it three-quarters of a point from recent highs—and yet homeowners rushed to cash-out refis like it’s 2005 with granite countertops on the...
A handful of states—mostly in the Northeast and Midwest—are posting the strongest house-price gains right now. But before you treat rising equity like found money, remember...
I. The Middle-Class Mirage Every few election cycles, the American middle class is asked to choose between its ideals and its interests. Too often, it chooses...
Introduction: A National Blind Spot Every year, surveys reveal an uncomfortable truth: the majority of Americans fail basic financial literacy questions. According to FINRA’s Investor Education...
Introduction: When Rationality Meets Reality Traditional economics tells us that consumers make rational decisions: weigh the costs and benefits, and choose the best outcome. If that...
Abstract Middle-class Americans maintain a structurally unequal relationship with the country’s largest banks. This asymmetry stems from persistent financial literacy gaps, the complexity of modern banking...
Introduction In 2023, about 4.2% of U.S. households—equivalent to approximately 5.6 million families—remained unbanked. Despite years of economic growth and increased financial services accessibility, millions of...
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) report indicates solid economic growth in the third quarter of 2024, with the U.S. real GDP increasing by 2.8% annually....
In the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s second quarter of 2024, household debt in the U.S. increased by $109 billion, bringing the total to a...
The lingering shadows of the Gilded Age stretch into the present, casting a long silhouette over America’s economic landscape. Families like the Waltons, the Mars clan,...