#middle-class-decline

#middle-class-decline

Davine Greene, a nursing student, described her car as 'the bane of my existence' and called it 'probably the worst decision I've ever made, like, financially speaking.'

No matter who you are, you need to deal with reality and the truth. The truth is that while New York City has much going for it, particularly for financial companies, it also has the highest city and state corporate taxes and the highest individual income and state taxes.

If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, I'll be happy if they only stayed at $4 a gallon. This situation is bound to impact budgets for commuters significantly.

Over half of Americans, 60%, say a weeklong vacation is unaffordable-and even 49% report the small joy of going out to dinner is out of their budgets. Around 74% also say buying a new car is too expensive, but beyond these commonplace "luxuries," U.S. adults are battling the exorbitant costs of everyday essentials.

Growing up, I remember my father coming home from the factory, his hands stained with machine oil that never quite washed off. He'd sit at our kitchen table, carefully counting out bills for the week ahead. Years later, when I asked him about those days, he just smiled and said, "You kids had everything you needed."

He began by characterizing what I had written as "fascinating," which could have meant a multitude of things coming from a teenager. He then explained that his eighth-grade English class included recent discussions about immigrant pursuits of the American dream. Accordingly, one major takeaway from those conversations with his teacher and peers was that many people come to the U.S. because it is perceived as a land of opportunity.