Tag Archives: american households

‘Chinese Households Save More than American Households’

*Saving motives a major factor in increased household savings*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – With the global economy in a state of unrest, saving money seems to be an obvious strategy for households to protect themselves. But are global households saving enough? Researchers at the University of Missouri have compared savings habits of households from two of the world’s most powerful economies: China and the United States. Rui Yao, an assistant professor in the personal financial planning department in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri, found that urban Chinese households, on average, save much more than American households. She says the difference stems from saving motives.

“Saving is one of the critical tools that households utilize to achieve financial goals and to improve financial well-being,” Yao said. “By looking at saving motives for households in each country, we hope to explain the difference in saving rates across these two countries.” (more…)

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All levels of American Families Reeling From Economic “Shock”

More than 93% of American households experienced “substantial economic shock” in 2008-2009, according to a Rockefeller Foundation-supported study headed by political science professor Jacob Hacker.

The study report, titled “Standing on Shaky Ground: Americans’ Experiences with Economic Insecurity,” was launched at a press event at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 14. According to organizers of the event, the study, which is the first to detail the impact of economic insecurity on the well-being of Americans, suggests that increased risk of economic hardship has become the rule, not the exception, for many Americans — even in good times. (more…)

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