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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 the wrong one. It rallies against unions that once secured its weekends, votes to cut unemployment benefits that could cushion its own job loss, and supports budget cuts 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 products, behavioral design that nudges consumers into costlier outcomes, and the scale advantages enjoyed by megabanks. Although regulators intervene episodically—most visibly in cases like Wells Fargo’s fake accounts scandal […]
Introduction Middle-class voters are the backbone of the American electorate. Their votes decide elections, and their voices shape national policy. In the 2020 presidential election, for example, middle-class suburban voters played a critical role in swinging key battleground states, underscoring their influence on electoral outcomes. Yet politicians often speak about the middle class in vague, […]
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, and the Cargill-MacMillans stand as pillars of enduring wealth, their fortunes built over decades and, in some cases, centuries. These dynasties have accumulated vast resources and mastered the art […]
If you’ve been waiting for a sign to make big moves with your finances, this is it. The Federal Reserve just made its first interest rate cut since 2020, slashing the federal funds rate by a full half percentage point. This is no small step—it’s a loud and clear signal that the era of “cheap […]
Credit card balance-transfer offers are arriving less and less in credit card user mailboxes. The major credit card issuers, including Bank of America, Barclays, JPMorgan Chase, and many others, are wheeling back on balance-transfer offers. Credit card balance-transfer allows credit...
By Article Posted by Staff Contributor
Private payrolls picked last month, and the economy added $4.8 million jobs. The unemployment rate falls to 11.1 percent. Despite those big economic data, the pandemic still poses a severe threat to economic recovery. Employers added nearly 5 million jobs,...
By Article Posted by Staff Contributor
The housing market keeps sending mixed signals. The U.S. May pending home sales rise a record 44.3% versus a 19.3% forecasted. In April, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index 10 and 20-city composites were up 3.4 and 4...
By MacKenzy Pierre
A second stimulus check might be inevitable since nearly half of the U.S. population is without a job. The Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues are not too eager to send direct payments to American citizens again...
By MacKenzy Pierre
Introduction: A Tiny Coin, a Loud Message In February 2025, President Trump told Treasury to stop making new pennies, calling the coin wasteful because it cost...
By Article Posted by Staff Contributor
In the 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s team looked at a housing market full of short, risky mortgages and said: we’re going to redesign this so regular...
By Article Posted by Staff Contributor
Black and Hispanic workers who do everything right — enroll in their employer’s 401(k) or 403(b), contribute regularly and try to build for retirement — are...
By FMC Editorial Team
Introduction: The latest FICO® Score Credit Insights report shows something easy to miss if you only look at the headline number: yes, the national average score...
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There’s a quiet tax on the American middle class, and it’s not just the one you file in April — it’s the lifestyle tax. The pressure...
By MacKenzy Pierre
Too many middle-class Americans are taking care of two generations at once. You’ve got a kid in college, or one boomeranging back home, and at the...
By Article Posted by Staff Contributor
Too many of you are cooking for 25 when 12 RSVPed. That’s why hosting feels expensive. Not because people don’t want to bring anything — but...
By Article Posted by Staff Contributor
“Setting a One-Gift Rule to protect the family budget” — Financial Middle Class Too many of us are blowing past our December budget because nobody wants...
By Article Posted by Staff Contributor
December is sneaky. It’s the one month where three different money cultures collide: the office wants to do “something fun,” your building staff suddenly has an...
By Article Posted by Staff Contributor
Too many of you are stressed about money and think it’s because you “just need to budget better.” That’s not the full story. You’re living through...
By Article Posted by Staff Contributor
Introduction: A Tiny Coin, a Loud Message In February 2025, President Trump told Treasury to...
In the 1930s, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s team looked at a housing market full of short,...
Black and Hispanic workers who do everything right — enroll in their employer’s 401(k) or...