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Bask In Others' Misery
Feeling sorry for
yourself this holiday season? Overcome your angst by basking in the
money maladies of others! Here's the official Holiday Rundown of Sad
Sap Statistics That Make You Look Like Warren Buffett In Comparison.
(Or, for easier reference, we'll use the handy acronym:
HRSSSTMYLLWBIC.)
Three-fourths of workers age 55 to 64 have less than $56,000 saved
for retirement.
Forty-two percent of workers cash out their 401(k)s rather than
transfer (or "roll over") the assets to an IRA or a new employer's
retirement plan.
One-third of "millennials" (those born after 1979) do not contribute
a single dollar to their work-sponsored retirement savings plan.
Twenty percent of credit cards are maxed out.
Last year the average household paid $1,000 in interest on the money
it borrowed.
Among these debt "revolvers," credit card debt averages over $11,000
per household.
The U.S. personal savings rate has declined from nearly 8.5% in the
early 1980s to less than zero today.
One out of every 73 U.S. households files for bankruptcy.
See? Spending time with the relatives isn't looking so bad in
comparison, is it?
After you're done feeling financially superior we know you'll want
to do something to help the less fortunate. We've made it easy with
our eighth annual Motley Fool charity drive: Foolanthropy. Fool
readers nominated worthy charities and we picked five to support.
Read more about them here.
Giving is easy -- you don't have to even leave your chair. Just go
to the Foolanthropy Center ("FC" for acronym fans) and click on the
link to any of the good works that catch your eye. Your donation can
really make a difference. And it certainly won't hurt in the Karma
department, either.
The Motley Fool is the #1 rated website for people who have complex
financial problems. (Hey, who doesn't?) We offer practical solutions
in plain English. Advice that's neither biased nor boring. For less
anxiety and more confidence, join the Fool.
Source:
NEWS.YAHOO |