Free Republic

It’s not just low-income Americans drowning under inflation and interest rates — some higher-income folks are feeling the strain on their wallets as well. Data from a June survey conducted by personal finance software company Quicken revealed that 32% of Americans earning at least $150,000 a year are currently living paycheck to paycheck, while 36% of folks earning $50,000 to $150,000 and 55% of households earning less than that reported the same.

On Thursday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Katy Tur Reports,” White House Council of Economic Advisers Chair Jared Bernstein responded to a majority of Americans saying they’re living paycheck-to-paycheck and those who aren’t feeling the economy improving by acknowledging that “it’s early days for those wage gains,” and so he’s “very sympathetic to the idea that people need to see them continue, and I think if the job market stays tight, they will.” Guest host Alex Witt asked, “[A]s you know, a majority of Americans still say they are living paycheck-to-paycheck. So, what is the message to those people who don’t really...

With persistent inflation eroding wage gains, the number of Americans living paycheck to paycheck is near a historic high, according to a recent report. Almost half of those earning more than $100,000 say they are just getting by. As rising prices continue to outpace wage gains, families are finding less cushion in their monthly budget. As of September, 63% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent LendingClub report — near the 64% historic high hit in March. A year ago, the number of adults who felt strained was closer to 57%. "Consumers are not able to...

Roughly three-quarters of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck, with little to no emergency savings, according to a survey released by Bankrate.com Monday. Fewer than one in four Americans have enough money in their savings account to cover at least six months of expenses, enough to help cushion the blow of a job loss, medical emergency or some other unexpected event, according to the survey of 1,000 adults. Meanwhile, 50% of those surveyed have less than a three-month cushion and 27% had no savings at all. --snip-- Last week, online lender CashNetUSA said 22% of the 1,000 people it recently surveyed had...