Millions of Americans Stuck in Economic Limbo
While the poverty and unemployment rates have declined over the past few years, millions of Americans are unable to save for a more financially stable future, according to a new report from Prosperity Now (formerly CFED). The 2017 Prosperity Now Scorecard finds that 44 percent of households did not set aside any savings for emergencies in the past year. Racial disparities are particularly stark. Fully 60.7% of Latino households and 56.7% of Black households have virtually no savings compared to just 28 percent of White households, according to the report. These households are defined as liquid asset poor, meaning they don’t have enough savings or liquid assets such as retirement accounts to replace income at the poverty level for just three months if they lose a job or suffer another significant income loss.