STEPHANIE AND PAUL LITTLETON AREN'T LIVING the life they had imagined for themselves. Ten years ago, they moved from their native California to Texas chasing better work opportunitiesand they found them. Paul, 49, works as an estimator and project manager for a construction company; Stephanie, 48, works in trust administration.
They're now making more money than ever but, after years of high inflation, they find themselves living paycheck to paycheck, while helping their kids to pay off debt and save enough money to step on the coveted property ladder.
As they both approach the age of 50, the Littletons say they are now in the same financial situation as when they got married in their 20s.
"It feels terrible," Stephanie told Newsweek. "The only difference is that the bills are bigger."
"We are helping our oldest daughter with student loans, and our youngest daughter and her boyfriend live with us because they can't find anywhere else affordable to live," she said. "It has taken a devastating toll on our mental health and our relationships."
The Littletons are far from being the only family experiencing this type of financial stress. Financial insecurity is degrading Americans' mental health according to a recent study by MarketWatch Guides shared exclusively with Newsweek.
Even though inflation has eased considerably compared to its June 2022 peak, nearly half (47 percent) of respondents to a survey conducted by the financial news and market data company said that 2024 has been the most stressful year of their lives, money-wise.
'Financial Fatique'
Eighty-eight percent of respondents said they feel some level of financial stress, and 65 percent said their finances are the biggest source of stress, which is having a significant negative impact on Americans' mental health.
Denne historien er fra July 12 - 19, 2024 (Double Issue)-utgaven av Newsweek Europe.
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Denne historien er fra July 12 - 19, 2024 (Double Issue)-utgaven av Newsweek Europe.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Falling for Romance
A new book, Nora Ephron at the Movies, celebrates the writer/director best known for her iconic rom-coms and strong female characters
Cracking the Norse Code
Walrus DNA has shown that Vikings were likely the first to have encountered Indigenous North Americans
Monumental Shift
The discovery of 165-million-year-old crystals Easter Island has upended the longheld notion of how the Earth's \"conveyor belt\" moves
'OUR FOREIGN POLICY AND DOMESTIC REFORMS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN'
It is a well-known fact across the globe that the North Korean regime is irrational and unpredictable, but we have been consistent in strengthening our defense posture against the threat from North Korea since the Korean War, and I believe that their conventional capability is much inferior to that of the Korean military.
'They Read My Eulogy As I Lay in an Open Grave'
Like Paris Hilton, Natasia Pelowski claims she was subjected to abuse at a teenage therapy program
Russian Economy Faces 'Burnout'
Vladimir Putin admits difficulties” as the country’s key interest rate reaches a historic high
China's 'Silent Chemical War'
The U.S. must investigate Beijing's role in the manufacturing of fentanyl that is killing Americans, says one mom whose daughter died after accidentally taking the illicit substance
HARSH HEADWINDS
President Yoon Suk Yeol's BATTLE to reform a South Korea beset with structural problems under the specter of an increasingly aggressive neighbor to THE NORTH
Bridget Everett
BRIDGET EVERETT NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D BE THE LEAD OF A TV SHOW. \"I come from the downtown world in New York, a cabaret singer, and these things just don't happen, you don't find yourself with three seasons of HBO.
Amber Ruffin
A LATE-NIGHT COMEDY SHOW ON CNN? YES, and it's a game show, too.
