Google “47%” and you’ll get a lot of hits for Mitt Romney’s comments from 2012.  They’re scary enough, but dig deeper and you’ll find a recent article from The Atlantic magazine that’s even scarier.  Neal Gabler writes about the ups and downs of his own financial life, but then moves on to research how widespread his situation is.  He found decades of wage stagnation, predatory lending, spiraling education and healthcare costs have all contributed to a financial wasteland that is quietly engulfing the Middle Class.  One of the most infuriating things he found was this simple fact… 47% of Americans would have trouble coming up with the money for a $400 emergency.  Gabler digs deep to document our changing vision of the American Dream, which only 64% of us still believe in.  Join Neal as he shares the results… 17% income drops, 65% financial illiteracy, 30% of the population with NO retirement savings, and much more.  It’s not fun reading at all, but you’re here for stuff that will “Make You Furious”.  Believe us, this will do it, but it will also make you better educated about the situation facing far too many Americans.  And realizing we’re all in the quicksand together is the first step to pulling ourselves out.

“The Secret Shame of Middle Class Americans”

Neal Gabler in The Atlantic Magazine, May 2016