Unfortunately, it turns out that flooding the system with money was really good for the wealthy, but it has made things much worse for almost everyone else.  Poverty is rapidly growing all around us and the middle class is being systematically eviscerated.  If you doubt this, can you explain why the number of Americans dealing with food insecurity has almost doubled over the past four years?  And can you explain why store closings in the U.S. are on pace to set a new all-time record?  The middle class simply does not have the same level of discretionary income that it once did.  Today, we live in a country where 70 percent of the population feels very financially stressed.  If you are in the segment of the population that is doing really well right now, good for you. But you need to understand that most of the country is really hurting.

Once upon a time, the U.S. had the largest and most prosperous middle class in the history of the world.  But according to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of Americans that are considered to be "middle class" is a lot smaller than it once was…

Pew Research Center defines the middle class as a household with income that is at least two-thirds of the U.S. median income to double the median income. This would imply a range of incomes from $56,600 to $169,800, based on government data for 2022.

As of 2023, 51% of American households fit into this category.

But, most Americans might not be aware that this cohort of middle-income earners is getting squeezed. Roughly 61% of households across the country were part of this group in 1971 — a full 10 percentage points higher than the recent 51% rate.

Even if you still have a place in the middle class, there is a very good chance that you are not doing as well as you once did.

If you find yourself in that situation, I want you to know that you definitely are not alone.

Today, so many Americans are just barely scraping by from month to month.  In fact, one recent survey found that 48 percent of Americans are "constantly treading water financially"…

A recent survey by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) found that 53% of U.S. adults feel like they can't make financial progress and 48% say they are "constantly treading water financially."

Our seemingly endless cost of living crisis is responsible for the pain that we are currently enduring.

Even if you have a full-time job, it is often not enough.

So Americans are increasingly turning to side hustles to make ends meet.