You’re in a worse situation than you think… (I’ve got proof)

Yesterday, I tweeted some startling economic facts. This is hugely important to you and should serve as a warning sign.

Prosperity is not as easy to come by, especially in todays society.

You have to be vigilant in capturing the life you want with sustained and bold action.

Here are the some of the facts of your situation as a new entrant into the working class of the United States:

• According to a study recently discussed in the New York Times, the “typical American household” is now worth 36 percent less than it was worth a decade ago.
• One out of every seven Americans relies on food banks at this point.
• One out of every four military families needs help putting enough food on the table.
• One out of every three adults in the United States has an unpaid debt that is “in collections”.
• Only 48 percent of all Americans can immediately come up with $400 in emergency cash without borrowing it or selling something.
• According to one recent study, 40 percent of all households in the United States are experiencing financial stress right now.
• The overall home-ownership rate has fallen to the lowest level since 1995.
• The home-ownership rate for Americans under the age of 35 is at an all-time low.
• According to one recent survey, 52 percent of all Americans cannot even afford the house that they are living in right now.
• The average age of vehicles on America’s roads has hit an all-time high of 11.4 years.
• Last year, one out of every four auto loans in the United States was made to someone with sub-prime credit.
• Amazingly, one out of every six men in their prime working years (25 to 54) do not have a job at this point.
• One recent study found that 47 percent of unemployed Americans have “completely given up” looking for a job.
• 36 percent of Americans do not have a single penny saved for retirement.
• According to one survey, 76 percent of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.
• More than half of all working Americans make less than $30,000 a year in wages.
• Due to a lack of decent jobs, half of all college graduates are still relying on their parents financially when they are two years out of school.
• Approximately one out of every four part-time workers in America is living below the poverty line.
• It is hard to believe, but more than one out of every five children in the United States is living in poverty in 2014.
• Ten years ago, the number of women in the U.S. that had jobs outnumbered the number of women in the U.S. on food stamps by more than a 2 to 1 margin. But now the number of women in the U.S. on food stamps actually exceeds the number of women that have jobs.
• If the middle class was actually thriving, we wouldn’t have more than a million public school children that are homeless.
• If you can believe it, Americans received more than 2 trillion dollars in benefits from the federal government last year alone.
• In terms of median wealth per adult, the United States is now in 19th place worldwide.
• ~Metrics by Michael T. Snyder

So what does this mean for you?

It means that the amount of opportunity out there is scarce. You have to work even hard just to obtain the same standard of living as your parents or grandparent.

When I graduated college in 2011, I have over $50,000 in debt and very little savings. Now, only three years later I have enought money to pay my debt down completely AND savings on top of that!

But that didn’t come by accident, or because I was lucky.

It came from consistent, thought out, and vigilant action towards finding a job and securing my financial and economic future.

That is one of the main reasons The Bean Counter exists. Not only to help you learn about the industry but to HELP YOU SUCCEED in a time where it’s becoming harder and harder to do so.

I don’t want you to become a victim like so many of the people in that study and I urge you to realize that while this situation is dire, there is still opportunity our there.

Save money, invest in yourself, and become more productive! Maybe skip that bar this weekend and take the $100 you would’ve wasted and buy a training course or learn a new skill. If money is an issue and you’ve been wanting to buy our course Get Hired By Big 4 Account Firms, email me and we can work something out.

Whatever your choice may be, remember this from a former prisoner of war James Stockdale:

“This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

Talk soon,