Marriage and Money Myths — and Why the Economy Feels 'Off'
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What are the financial implications of marriage?
And I'm Elizabeth Iola.
This episode, we're talking about some of the more nuanced financial implications and benefits of marriage. But first, our weekly Money News Roundup, where we break down the latest in the world of finance to help you be smarter with your money.
Listeners may remember way back last fall when there was a lot of talk about economic vibes and how they didn't seem to match up with what national statistics were telling us about the economy. I am a listener and I will say I was also confused by the mismatch between musing shared in my social networks and the economic data that we were presented with.
Why does the economy feel 'off' despite positive statistics?
Yeah, lots of economic indicators were indicating that things were going pretty swimmingly. But polls kept showing that the public did not agree. Our news colleague Anna Hilhoski is here with more. And Anna, there really has been this huge disconnect between perception and reality when it comes to the economy.
There has, Sean. And that's why an article that I read last week in Politico grabbed my attention. The author argues that people's negative feelings about the economy were actually spot on. and that the government's stats on unemployment, wages, and growth were wrong. So for today's episode, I spoke with that very author, Eugene Ludwig, chair of the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity, who also served as the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency during the Clinton administration. Eugene Ludwig, welcome to Smart Money.
How do traditional economic measurements fail today?
Anna, it's nice to be with you.
In your article for Politico, you say that you're skeptical that the government's measurements of things like unemployment and wage growth are capturing the realities of the economy. So before we get into what your team of researchers found, I'm curious what led you to dig into the divide between what stats show and what the economic, for lack of a better word, vibe seemed to be.
Well, it's really a two-part, Anna. I've either walked by ridden my bicycle by or been in a car passing by the Federal Reserve since I came to town here in Washington over 40 years ago. And the buildings are just as pretty as they were when I arrived. The only thing that's changed is the increasing homeless city of tents, which didn't even exist when I first came. And there were some people sleeping on grates, maybe, occasionally but now it's a it's like a tent village around the federal reserve so you see that and you say hey what's so good about these numbers tell you everything ought to be better and things aren't better when you when you actually physically see them and touch them
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What are the financial implications of marriage?
1:36–2:10
2
Why does the economy feel 'off' despite positive statistics?
2:10–2:56
3
How do traditional economic measurements fail today?
2:56–5:50
4
What is the reality of part-time work in the current economy?
5:50–7:36
5
How does inflation affect lower-income earners more?
7:36–11:17
6
What changes are needed for more accurate economic data?
11:17–29:40
Speakers
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