Surviving on Social Security and food stamps
Here are the numbers we’re reading and watching for Friday.
Yes, you did it! You made it to the end of the week! Here are some need-to-know numbers to send you off on your merry way.
More than 1,000 people told us how they felt about their economic situations in our latest Marketplace-Edison Research Poll, sharing their fears, anxieties and hopes for the future. We caught up with one of our respondents, Betty Moncrief – a resident from Birmingham, Alabama – to find out how she’s coping with her monthly finances. Moncrief, who lives on Social Security and food stamps, only had $10 after paying her bills last month. Marketplace’s Nancy Marshall-Genzer reports on her financial situation, which you can read here.
On an international scale, it seems businesses from the U.S. are looking forward to the warming relations between the country and Cuba. Airlines are vying for the chance to fly new routes to the island, and the U.S. Postal Service announced it will allow for the direct transportation of mail with Cuba — the first time in 50 years. Things aren’t 100 percent optimistic though; it’ll still be pretty difficult for U.S. businesses that want to engage with the island’s economic infrastructure, which includes issues related to currency exchange.
Television ratings also aren’t looking optimistic: many network shows are facing what’s called a mid-season slump, experiencing declining viewership after going on hiatus for several months. ABC’s “Scandal” lost 15 percent in same-day viewership, with “How to Get Away with Murder” and “The Last Man on Earth” also seeing dips.
