If these were normal times, April would have received a lot of attention as Financial Literacy Month. Statistics would be cited about the high number of Americans mismanaging their money and experts quoted about the need to educate them about budgeting, saving and investing.
All true, all good, and yet all too easily forgotten by the time May rolls around.
This year, times are not normal.
This year, covid-19 has ruthlessly exposed the fragile financial lives of many Americans. As a result of the economic shutdown that has left more than 20 million suddenly unemployed, stories of financial hardships dominate the news.
In breathtaking numbers, Americans of all income classes are now facing the very crisis experts have been warning about: no or inadequate emergency funds, too much debt and overspending on lifestyle choices.
With few financial safety measures in place, they must make painful decisions: Which utility bills to pay, how to plead for extensions on monthly mortgage or rent…
