California’s devastating wildfires have made it harder for some day workers to find employment

Jan 1, 2019
Recent devastating wildfires burned down more than 300 homes in Malibu, California — one of the wealthiest cities in California. Many homeowners there employed gardeners and housekeepers who lost their jobs. Oscar Mondragόn, the director of the Malibu Community Labor Exchange, where day workers find work, says it’s too early to tell how many workers were […]
The ruins of an ocean view home are seen in the aftermath of the Woolsey Fire in Malibu, California.
DAVID MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images

Scooters could improve mobility in low-income areas, but they have an image problem

Dec 5, 2018
They can be left anywhere, which riles wealthy communities. But that might make them surprisingly effective in underserved neighborhoods.
A user rides a Spin scooter in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Student loans make wealth gap worse for blacks

Sep 27, 2018
New study examines race and student debt.
Students walk through the campus of Yale University. 
Yana Paskova/Getty Images

Rebuilding a neighborhood, one house at a time

Aug 20, 2018
A nonprofit program in Cleveland helps renters become homeowners.
A distressed house near the new homes built by CHN Housing Partners.
Amy Scott/Marketplace

"Generation Wealth" is about more than money

Jul 17, 2018
In her new documentary, Lauren Greenfield takes on the changing American dream.
Lauren Greenfield photographed excesses in her documentary "Generation Wealth," above.
Photo Courtesy of Amazon Studios

Why delaying Social Security reform now could cause our children's wealth to shrink further

Jul 11, 2018
"I think it's up to our generation to fix the mistakes that we've made," Arun Muralidhar, founder of MCube Investment Technologies and co-author of "Rethinking Pension Reform," told us.
Wikimedia Commons

Tariffs just one headwind for China’s economy

Jul 9, 2018
Today is day four of the tariff battle — some call it war — between the U.S. and China. Whether it’ll cause major economic damage depends who you ask. We step back to assess the Chinese economy in this fragile moment and how its transition from a middle-income country to a rich one is going. Click the audio […]

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Philadelphia building tax could fund affordable housing

Jun 12, 2018
Philadelphia City Council is expected to vote this week on what some members see as a potential solution to the city’s affordable housing problem — a 1 percent tax that could fund rental construction and help qualifying home buyers make down payments on houses. But the proposal is controversial. Click the audio player above to hear […]

A handful of new tech companies are hoping to bring new people into the stock market

May 29, 2018
Federal Reserve data show that just 14 percent of U.S. families own stock directly, and only 52 percent have a retirement account. It’s a highly skewed group: White households are far more likely to hold stock than black or Hispanic households, while the vast majority of stock holdings belong to the wealthiest 5 percent. Economists say […]

World Bank report finds that poverty, lack of education follows generations

May 10, 2018
It’s the dream of many parents that their children will grow up to have more prosperous lives than they did. A new report from the World Bank finds that’s not happening in much of the developing world, where upward mobility has stalled for the past 30 years.  Click the audio player above to hear the […]