Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Kara Perez is back to answer the question all of us have been asking: should it *really* be this hard? We were promised a future and economy better than what our parents inherited, and so far, that seems to only be working out for a select few. Where did the middle class go?

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Kara is the founder of Kara Explores Money & author of Money For Change. Find more from Kara:
-Follow her here: instagram.com/karaexploresmoney
-You can purchase Kara's book, Money For Change, here: bookshop.org/p/books/money-for-change-how-to-reduce-waste-build-wealth-and-create-a-better-future-for-all-kara-perez/67361feb311f3e8b

SOURCE LINKS:

economist.com/interactive/big-mac-index

eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/leafhandler.ashx?f=m&n=pet&s=emm_epm0_pte_nus_dpg

edweek.org/education/student-aid-value-found-eroded-by-cuts-cost-increases/1984/01

cnbc.com/2026/06/04/long-term-unemployment-economy-jobs.html

libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2026/06/remote-work-leaves-younger-workers-sidelined

news.bloomberglaw.com/tech-and-telecom-law/us-tech-sector-announces-most-job-cuts-in-nearly-two-years

bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/average-college-graduate-salary/#median-salary

cnbc.com/2026/06/04/long-term-unemployment-economy-jobs.html

bostonfed.org/-/media/Documents/Workingpapers/PDF/wp1308.pdf

https://harris.uchicago.edu/news-events/news/has-class-mobility-america-really-changed-new-research-finds-complicated-answer