Hard Working Americans

dollar was close to an eight year shortage against the real, having lost more than 33% of its value during 2009 alone. During the past 12 month era, the exchange rate of the U.S. dollar (USD) has diverse from a low of BRL R $1.5310 to in height of BRL $1.7790. During 2010, the United States dollar typically kept an everyday exchange rate between (BRL) R$1.70 and (BRL) R$1.80, occasionally reducing below the (BRL) R$1.70 level.

In the article, “ Is The American Dream still possible?,” the author, David Wallechinsky, shares his opinion of the American Dream no longer being a reality, Americans who work hard are losing their jobs and are struggling in debt. “ The Traditional American Dream is based on the belief that hard working citizens can better their lives, pay their monthly bills without worry, give their children a start to an even better and still save enough to live comfortably after they retire. But many average Americans are struggling-squeezed by rising costs, declining wages, credit card debt,” ( Wallechinsky 55). Explaining the quote, the speaker is making his stand on the American Dream not being a reality by revealing the ugly truth of what really happens to the people who work hard for it. I argue back and say that Americans have the decisions to make what is best for their future. You can’t blame anyone for your mistakes but yourself. There must be a reason why you are in debt, you probably made wrong decisions and not think ahead of your future. An American who thinks about his future knows that every decision that they makes

Together, they made around $83,000 and had around $90,000 in assets which placed them solidly in the middle class. Twelve years later, Allison and David experienced setbacks but increased their income to about $125,000. Their financial assets quadrupled to a whopping $368,000 and saved up thousands of dollars for retirement. However, with the economy downsizing on the heels of the Great Recession and uneven job recovery heavily tilted toward low-wage jobs, David joined millions of other Americans in unemployment. Having spent half a year unemployed, David returned to work working at a significantly lower wage. Over the course of 12 years, David witnessed how work became less stable and more contingent for many Americans. The working experience illustrates a larger transformation in America’s employment landscape, away from middle-class jobs and jobs with significant benefits toward low-paying jobs with few benefits, accelerated by the Great Recession.

The American Dream is the idea that financial success, upward social mobility, and overall prosperity can be achieved with perseverance and hard work. It’s the idea that anyone, even the very poor, can make a better life for themselves if they are willing to work for it. It’s an idea that has become integral to American society, encouraging us to put in an effort to see our dreams come to fruition. However, when it comes down to individual experiences, it turns out that accomplishing the traditionally agreed-upon American Dream gets a lot messier than it’s made out to be. Using the books Nickel and Dimed and The Color of Water, as well as the movie Enron- The Smartest Guys in the Room, both similarities and differences can be found when it comes to what achieving the American Dream really means.

Comedian George Carlin once stated, “That’s why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.” Financial security, freedom to live how one chooses, retiring at 65 and living comfortably in old age, owning a home, knowing that working hard pays off: these are all fundamental beliefs tied to the American Dream. As newer generations are increasingly finding the dream to be unrealistic, people are beginning to abandon the concept; however it is still a very present ideology. While many believe the American Dream is a lively goal that everyone strives to achieve, it is actually a dying illusion that is unattainable for all but the wealthiest and used to propagate a classist society, causing a cycle of ignorance

Great satisfaction does come from hard work, especially when knowing a person put their all into accomplishing the task goes a long way. To say whether or not one would agree with the statement of through hard work, everybody can succeed in American society really does depend on who is making the statement. History is everything. Knowing where you began does help a person plan on their tomorrow. The division between social classes has always been there and will always be. Those who are fortunate enough to get “the break” they were looking for often times come off of their brow. Many are born with a so-called silver spoon in their mouth, but for many, that is not always the case. With social class being measured by income and wealth,

The ‘American Dream’ has recently transformed into the American nightmare. More and More people are retiring broke and are looking for some type of financial assistance either from families, government, or continuing to work past retirement. Not every American has the skill set to run a successful business, but more often than not, most Americans do possess a skill set that can be used to create individual wealth which each citizen will have complete control over. Therefore, Americans should embrace the principles that this country was based on, which is free enterprise. In order to insure fiscal independence, Americans must consider an essential component

American industrialization in the late 19th and early 20th century brought about many changes to the working conditions for blue-collar workers. The Second Industrial Revolution, or the Technological Revolution is the period between about 1870 and the First World War. During this time, the U.S. began the manufacturing of raw materials such as coal, iron and oil. Innovations such as roads, steamboats, the Eerie Canal, railroad networks, electrical power and the telephone allowed for a new wave of economic development. Goods could be more easily moved from the American interior to the Atlantic coast. This economic growth led to an increased need for more factory workers. They worked 10 or more hours per day to keep up with the growing economy.

The wealth gap, or wealth inequality, is known as the unequal distribution of assets within a population. The wealth gap in America between the lower and upper classes is rising exponentially. This imbalance within the distribution of wealth leaves those who aren’t as financially stable to struggle to achieve the same standard of education, and overall living necessities, such as housing, as those who’s wealth persistently grows. The rising wealth gap plaguing American society is bringing those of the lower and middle classes to a set disadvantage point compared to those who have an affluent amount of money. Although this inequality is contributing to an emergent opportunity gap, a solution can arise through new legislation concerning financial

In the article, Advisors Involved in Financial Planning, authors Mendlowitz and Kess talks about how financial advisors are people oriented and want what is best for their clients. The authors prove that the difficulty of the financial advising processes is typically overlooked by others by stating, “The different kinds of financial advisors and their role in the overall financial planning process is difficult” (Pg.66). Many might think that financial advisors have an easy job, but there is more to it than telling people to save small amounts of money here and there. Advisors must go through several specific steps to figure out the exact amounts their clients must save. The author of this article talks about situations that a financial advisor might go through as well as how the advisor should

This means that an income should operate in a way that rewards people who work more hours with more money. However, today people work more hours than ever before but are making less every hour. The only time period that rivals this low of pay for the middle class is during the Great Depression. The government’s solution to this problem is to create “New Deal” style programs with tax exceptions, and to create jobs to aid the middle class.

Looking at history, it is clear to see that a pattern of financial decline has struck nearly every generation, harming the middle class and benefiting the executive class. In the 1930’s, the infamous “Great Depression” swept the world as the worst economic disaster in history, leaving millions unemployed and homeless with no food and several children to feed. Beginning in the

Every American dreams of finding a job that pays well enough so that they may comfortably take care of their loved ones and themselves for years to come. Most Americans hope to find some way to make a living that they enjoy, something that they view as productive. Unfortunately, many do not have this luxury. In our society, a good portion of the population is forced to hold the base of our country in place while hardly being redeemed for their time and effort, and thus the problem of income inequality. Numbers of these people live from paycheck to paycheck, barely getting by, not because they manage their money poorly, but because the value of their time at work is negligible.

The United States of America was once renowned for and demarcated by the size and successfulness of its middle class. Currently, America faces a shrinking middle class and a new rising oligarchy that is creating the largest wealth disparity in eighty years. Robert B. Reich wrote Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few, for the sole purpose of exposing the reasons why the wealthy get wealthier and poor get poorer. Reich contends that the free market vs government debate serves as a means of distraction, covering up the real issues of the top one percent reaping economic gains. Reich states in the book that the “free market” is a myth that prevents us from examining the rule changes and questioning who they serve. Reich further states “it is no accident that those with disproportionate influence over these rules, who are the largest beneficiaries of how the rules have been designed and adapted, are also among the most passionate supporters of the “free market” and the most ardent advocates of the relative superiority of the market over the government.”

The era of volatility has created a shift from America being the middle-class society to simply rich or poor (Sachs, 2011). A gap this large has not been experienced since the 1920’s (Sachs). “The top 1% of households takes almost a quarter of all household income” but an economy this top heavy will not be able to succeed (Sachs, 2011, p. 30). The working classes are struggling with housing, wage, and employment issues. Rich individuals are ignoring these troubles, shipping their business operations out of the country, thus furthering the downward spiral of the economy (Sachs). To make matters worse, this has become in a large part a political issue, because the rich can influence candidates with funding, where the poor and working