Despite the widespread belief among Americans that they’re destined to do better than their parents, Americans are more likely to live as well as or worse than their parents than their counterparts in many European countries.

There’s been a lot of media coverage lately about Americans switching from big banks to community banks, credit unions and online banks. That may be a good move for some people, but we’ll come right out and say it: Some consumers need a big bank. more

America's story, our national mythology, is built on the idea of being an opportunity society. more

Even as Bank of America and other major lenders back away from charging customers to use their debit cards, many banks have been quietly imposing other new fees. more

Americans fed up with big bank fees are closing their accounts and marching over to … Walmart? more

With unemployment too high, economic growth too low, and the gap between the rich and poor widening, the American Dream is hurting. Adding to the gloom is the polarization in Wash­ington, where even a simple task like raising the country’s debt ceiling nearly led to economic cataclysm this summer. more

State governments across the United States are just a few months into their fiscal years and already many fear that tax revenues are running short of forecasts. This is getting to be an annual ritual. Officials in New York, California, Florida and Washington this year have all expressed concerns about the outlook.

West Virginia has the highest median monthly bank fees in the country at $12, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts.

A Salvadoran flag wrapped around his neck to block out the sun, Geremias Romero hunches low to the ground alongside the other laborers, following the tractor along rows of cantaloupes.

The acid test of the American Dream is whether people can rise beyond the circumstances of their birth.

The Pew Charitable Trust has released an interesting map on the “unbanked”: American households that eschew the formal banking system. It shows some pretty big geographic variation.

Joanne Spillman, 50, grew up in a large home in Denver's Park Hill neighborhood, never wanting for anything, and never anticipating she would achieve anything less in her life.