Today, The New York Times featured research from the U.S. Financial Diaries as well as other sources to explore the issue of income volatility and how it is affecting the financial lives of Americans. The complete article is available here.
For millions of Americans, including USFD households, income fluctuates monthly, weekly, and seasonally. In fact, 61% of the time (for those in the study), there is a mismatch between spending needs and income flows. According to principal investigator Jonathan Morduch, “This is a hidden inequality that often gets lost.”
For more on income inequality, read our recent issue brief and learn more about our households.
Editors’ Note: Hi, Laura and Jonathan here. A few of the pieces this week come from people who spent years up close with how poor households actually handle money, and keep coming back with something more tangled than the story usually told, and more persistent. Tim will be back for the next edition. - Laura Freschi and Jonathan Morduch