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“It seems there are hopeful signs for the US economy and there is much media coverage focused on Wall Street trading errors, and the Euro Zone bailout. Add in an oil spill and it seems there is little taste for discussing topics necessary to solve our underlying financial problems, including lingering unemployment.”

I just read a statistic from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that surprised even me. More than 25 percent of American households are “unbanked” (with no accounts at all), or “under-banked” (using check-cashing services or pay-day lenders). Even before the financial crisis, 70 percent of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck.

I think what we’re dealing with here is a part of a larger, deep-seated problem. We do not teach financial literacy in this country…and it shows!! We need to teach financial literacy starting in our school system and working our way up to the financial industry itself. This industry must take more responsibility in developing educated, smarter consumers. Given that a significant portion of our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is based on consumer spending, a more financially savvy consumer could make a world of difference. If we had taken the time to do this in the first place, we might not find ourselves in the position we’re in right now, facing astronomical credit card debt and houses going into foreclosure left and right.

If we focus on the bigger picture now, we may actually have a fighting chance for a more solid economy in the future.

Thanks again for your questions. Keep them coming so you can get straight answers from me here or at #askjz.