The Big Shift

March 16, 2009

The recession has changed our financial lives. A look at wealth and prosperity in the middle class and how we live now.

  • Features
  • Family takes frugality to the extreme
    Many people living in comfortable surroundings are now embracing a frugal-chic attitude. Maine-based author W. Hodding Carter and his family are experimenting in being ultra-frugal for an entire year.June 5, 2009
  • Life goes on after foreclosure
    Stories of families in the throes of losing their homes are all over the news. But what happens to those families -- and the homes -- after the foreclosure is final? Krissy Clark visits a couple in Las Vegas to find out.July 27, 2009
  • In Vegas, 'It just got worse and worse'
    Las Vegas had one of the nation's hottest economies when home prices were rising. Now, it's gone bust. Reporter Krissy Clark meets a former mortgage broker who's trying to make a life after living through the boom's rise and fall.July 17, 2009
  • More low-income people live in suburbs
    Poverty used to be a symptom of the inner cities, but today, more low-income people live in the suburbs. Jeff Tyler tells the story of an accountant with an MBA who survived suburban homelessness.July 8, 2009
  • Harlem wants residents to go shopping
    Harlem residents are used to leaving the community if they want to shop, but a "shop local" campaign is trying to bring revenue to the neighborhood's stores. Kate Ellis explores why the recently-thriving Harlem is struggling now.June 22, 2009
  • Deep South's farm-worker jobs vanish
    Agriculture workers are used to long hours for low pay, but cutbacks and layoffs are making it even harder to get work where jobs were already tough to find. Jeff Tyler talks to farm workers in Tchula, Miss.June 17, 2009
  • Why the rich matter
    Thanks to greedy bankers and cons like Bernard Madoff, the wealthy aren't so popular these days. But if you think the rich don't benefit the rest of us, think again. Jeff Tyler reports.March 16, 2009
  • Lifting a tribe's fortunes with wind
    The Lakota Sioux tribe has been measuring wind for a decade, and is working out a way to use wind turbines to lift its fortunes. Laurie Stern profiles the reservation in this first installment of a two-part story.March 10, 2009
  • Wind carries jobs for Lakota Sioux
    For 21-year-old single mother and Lakota Sioux Ashley Elk Nation, a South Dakota wind farm provides resources to help her prosper. Laurie Stern has the second installment of this story from a state tribal reservation.March 11, 2009
  • Demand for jobless services rising
    The federal unemployment rate shot up to a 25-year high of 8.1 percent this year. With millions of people out of work, unemployment offices have been overwhelmed with people seeking benefits. Jeff Tyler reports on how the safety net is being stretched to its limit.March 6, 2009
  • Job seekers take 1 step forward, 2 back
    For some workers, the recession has brought their first reversal of fortune. But zigging in and out of jobs is becoming an all too familiar game of financial musical chairs for a lot of us. Jeff Tyler reports.March 6, 2009
  • Shopping's not a snap with food stamps
    Food stamps help thousands of families in need. But to get the most of out of them you need some smart shopping strategies. Reporter Jeff Tyler follows one woman who's become very savvy at navigating the food benefit system.July 31, 2009
  • Voices
  • What good does the Dow rising do?
    The Dow Industrials has made a run at hitting the 10,000 mark recently. Commentator Robert Reich says the rally isn't really helping working Americans.September 23, 2009
  • As jobs evolve, so should tax code
    The era of steady, lifelong 9-to-5 employment seems to be waning. These days more people work for themselves or telecommute for different firms. Commentator Amelia Tyagi says the tax code needs to adapt to a changing workforce.August 3, 2009
  • No recovery with so many unemployed
    While some sectors of the economy are improving, the labor market is still hurting. Commentator Robert Reich says that's bad news for a real recovery.September 9, 2009
  • Long-term jobless will still struggle
    The economy lost 247,000 jobs last month, and that's a substantial improvement over earlier this year. But before we declare the recession over, commentator Justin Wolfers warns not to overlook the problem of long-term unemployment.August 11, 2009
  • A fair plan to make college affordable
    The average college graduate today leaves school $22,000 in debt, and has job choices limited to what pays the most. Commentator Robert Reich offers a new strategy to cover the cost of education without worrying about money.May 22, 2009

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