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The vacuous, cheerful expression of the Walmart smiley face has long been associated with the paradoxically dark reality of low-wage work. With the recent fast-food worker walkouts in New York, the golden arches may go down, too, in the annals of class-war symbology.
In the media
Anna Simonton

How Our Tax Dollars Are Funding Low-Wage Work and Fueling Inequality

Research
Amy Traub
Robert Hiltonsmith
The class of ’13 has no luck at all. As the graduates take to the streets with their six-month grace periods before their student loan debt bills begin arriving, they face a horrific job market. “At 16.2 percent, the March 2013 unemployment rate of workers under age 25 was [roughly] twice as high as
In the media
Gregory Bresiger
A recent AARP Public Policy Institute report found that average credit card balances for households over age 75 jumped 31 percent during the recession. A separate AARP report found that boomers - households over age 50 - now have higher overall credit card debt than younger people - a reversal of
In the media
Mark Miller
Collusion — and conflicts of interest — between politicians and billionaires now operate across borders. When he was president, Nicolas Sarkozy reserved special favours for the Qataris (including a tax exemption on their highest-value property purchases). Qatar is now prepared to back him in
In the media
Serge Halimi
Dangers for Boomers’ Debt and Savings Here’s the rub: Alarm bells are going off about both the size of midlifers’ debts and their limited savings.
In the media
Chris Farrell
To retirees, the offers can sound like the answer to every money worry: convert tomorrow’s pension checks into today’s hard cash.
In the media
Jessica Silver-Greenberg
Bet if I asked, the odds are good that many people could tell me to the penny what they just paid for a gallon of gas. So how much did it cost you to invest in your 401(k) last year? I don't know myself. And you likely don't know either. Over the years, most of us have heard that if we just start
In the media
Susan Tompor
I watched the disturbing Frontline documentary on PBS, The Retirement Gamble, and not surprisingly, I got to thinking about the fees I pay for investing in my retirement accounts.
In the media
Kerry Hannon
Americans owe more than $1 trillion in student loans — a total that surpasses credit card debt — but millions who are past due on payments are not taking advantage of a program designed to make their debt manageable. The federal income-based repayment­ program reduces an eligible borrower’s monthly
In the media
Meagan Pant