MORE CONFIDENT.
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® jumped to 131.4 in February, up from 121.7 in January. Both numbers, indicating that consumers expect the economy to keep expanding, are relatively high. In other Conference Board surveys, the organization found that consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions and their short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions also improved.
MORE EDUCATED.
Americans are getting more education. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, the number of people at least age 25 with a Master’s as their highest degree doubled to 21 million from 2000 to 2018. The number of doctoral degree holders also more than doubled to 4.5 million during the same period. In 2018, 13.1% of aults held advanced degrees.
MORE MOBILE.
The U.S. may be near full employment, but employee tenure remains tenuous. The Employee Benefit Research Institute’s analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) found that the median tenure of all wage and salary workers aged 25 or older stayed at about five years. Men’s tenure, however, slipped, while women increased their median tenure, according to the EBRI analysis.
MORE VULNERABLE.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a report showing a dramatic increase in financial crimes against the elderly. According to the Bureau, reported incidents of elder financial exploitation exploded to more than 180,000 cases from 2013 to 2017, totaling $6 billion. The Bureau notes that many more incidents are likely not reported. Adults from age 70 to 79 had the highest average monetary loss – $45,300.