In May 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the consumer price index (CPI), which measures the price changes for a “market basket” of consumer goods and services, rose 2.8% over the last 12 months. This represented a significant increase in inflation, which is at a six-year high, and contributed to the stagnation of
According to the Boston Fed, nearly 80 percent of U.S. adults have a credit card. For many, using credit cards can be an excellent way to build credit and a convenient way to pay for necessary expenses without using cash or checks. For others, credit cards encourage a pattern of overspending, leading to high fees,
The Federal Reserve recently announced that it would raise interest rates in June 2018 and that two more increases are planned for later in the year. After years of near-zero interest rates following the Great Recession, the June increase marks the second of the year and the seventh since the financial crisis, raising the target
In the wake of multiple teacher strikes that have prompted national attention towards educators’ salaries and education spending, the U.S. Census Bureau just released its updated Annual Survey of School System Finances covering Fiscal Year 2016. According to the report, total current spending of public elementary-secondary school systems for the U.S. in 2016 was $587
Credit scores help lenders assess risk when issuing loans. A higher credit score (lower risk) typically translates into reduced interest rates, better credit card offers, and less expensive insurance premiums, among other benefits, all of which can result in massive savings over the course of a lifetime. Unfortunately, more than 50% of consumers in the
At the national level, Americans are incurring more and more debt. Recent data from the New York Fed indicates that household debt reached a new high in the fourth quarter of 2017, standing at $13.15 trillion. This represents a 1.5% increase from the previous quarter and a 17.9% increase from the most recent low in
In recent months, teachers in multiple states, including West Virginia, Kentucky, Arizona, and Colorado, have gone on strike to protest low wages and insufficient resources in public schools. With many states cutting school funding, teachers are experiencing economic pressure inside and outside of the classroom and are voicing their need for change. According to the
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in the U.S. as of April 2018 is at a ten-year low of 3.9%. This is a significant decrease from the peak 10% unemployment in October 2009, at the height of the recession. While lower unemployment rates suggest signs of economic recovery, the unemployment rate
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, in the fourth quarter of 2017, mortgage debt in the United States reached $8.8 trillion, an increase of $139 billion from the third quarter of 2017. Mortgages comprise the largest amount of household debt, which increased for the 14th consecutive quarter. However, mortgage debt statistics vary
Death and taxes are supposed to be the only two certainties in this world; however, this year a majority of Americans are feeling uncertain about their tax future. According to a new Gallup poll, 56% of U.S. adults are unsure whether the new tax bill signed into law by the president last December will cause