The Cost of the American Dream is $_______.

This should be an astonishing wake-up call for all network marketers.  According to the statisticians at USA Today, it now takes over $130,000 per year for an average family in America today to be able to afford "the essentials" of the so-called "American Dream."  You might also be surprised to discover the 2 things that Americans want more than anything else.  Are you offering these 2 things when you speak with your prospects about Nu Skin?

Can you afford the 'American Dream?' Study shows the ideal lifestyle costs $130,357 per year

A new analysis shows that only 1 in 8 families could afford the cost of living what's commonly known as the American Dream in 2014. 

Inspired by the new book 'Chasing the American Dream,' about the cost of the financial crisis, housing bubble, and Great Recession, reporters at USA Today calculated the cost of all those elements that make up the American Dream. 

For the project they included the costs of home ownership, moderate-cost groceries, a car, health insurance, taxes, educational expenses for your children, and retirement planning.

They reached an average total of $130,357 per year in household income. In a country where the median household income is roughly $51,000, that's a dream well out of reach for most people. In fact only 16 million households in America earned that much last year.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE:

Getting Older, Broker, and Unprepared for Retirement...

Many older Americans are simply unprepared for the costs associated with retirement.

America is graying out. The massive cohort of baby boomers are now entering retirement age at a rate of close to 10,000 per day, or roughly 300,000 per month. Many are fully unprepared for the challenges associated with retiring and living a life where work income becomes a smaller source of support. The workforce during the last decade has added many lower wage jobs and this has added to the challenges of adequately saving for retirement. Saving takes work, patience, and enough disposable income to stash away. The facts are simply disturbing here. Most Americans entering retirement will rely on Social Security as their primary source of income. Since Social Security payouts come from current workers, those young lower paid workers are going to face a growing burden. This is all documented yet many Americans are entering old age fully unprepared for the economic challenges they will face. Healthcare costs are soaring but so are food costs, energy prices, and housing costs and all of these will be eaten away if your fixed income does not keep up.

"Gosh Dennis...Who Do I Talk To About Nu Skin?"

37.2%: Percentage Not in Labor Force Remains at 36-Year High

June 6, 2014 - 8:05 AM

(CNSNews.com) - The percentage of American civilians 16 or older who do not have a job and are not actively seeking one remained at a 36-year high in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Before December, the last time the labor force participation rate sunk as low as 62.8 percent was February 1978, when it was also 62.8 percent. At that time, Jimmy Carter was president.(CNSNews.com) - The percentage of American civilians 16 or older who do not have a job and are not actively seeking one remained at a 36-year high in May, according to the Bureau of Labor StatisticsIn December, April, and now May, the labor force participation rate has been 62.8 percent. That means that 37.2 percent were not participating in the labor force during those months.

What Happened To The American Dream?

The American Dream is out of reach

By Tami Luhby  @Luhby June 4, 2014: 3:13 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The American Dream is impossible to achieve in this country.

So say nearly 6 in 10 people who responded to CNNMoney's American Dream Poll, conducted by ORC International. They feel the dream -- however they define it -- is out of reach.

91 percent agree with THIS statement...

 “I’m hopeful that I will find a job I really want in the next six months.” 

People are always asking me, "who do I talk to about Nu Skin?"  Here's an idea: Why not do your own survey to find a pool of people who might be open to the business opportunity?  Harris Poll conducted a recent one in which they discovered that out of 1500 people they surveyed, almost HALF of those who were unemployed had given up looking for work!  We have an answer!  Dennis

Poll: 47% of Unemployed Have 'Completely Given Up' Looking for a Job

A new poll suggests that finding employment, particularly for the long-term unemployed, continues to be a struggle for Americans. The poll, conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals, asked questions of 1,500 unemployed adult Americans last month.

"Middle Class" = $50,000 Per Year (Paycheck to Paycheck)

Outstanding article with data that you need to be aware of.  Dennis

How many Americans live paycheck to paycheck? A nation living precariously close to the financial edge.

The fuel that drives our economy is spending. There are few nations that rival our ability to spend. We spend with the gusto of a shop-a-holic. The assumption is that we simply have the money lying around to spend at this level. That is simply not the case since most Americans are flat broke by most standard definitions. For example, I was reading through the recent Money magazine and found that 55 percent of households making $100,000 a year or less are living paycheck to paycheck. This is the bulk of our entire nation. The median household income in the US is $50,000. This was from the most recent survey conducted this month! The economic recovery is now going into its fifth year yet Americans are no closer to planning for a stable retirement. Most Americans arenot adequately planning and preparing for retirement. In fact, a retirement train wreck is barreling down on us. If 55 percent of households are living paycheck to paycheck, then stashing money away for the far away future is probably not on their immediate radar. We have become a nation that is precariously living on the financial edge.

1.5 Million Per Year...

...for the next 15 years! That's what I call a market!  Dennis

There Go The Baby Boomers

America's 65-and-older population is growing rapidly thanks to the aging Baby Boom generation.

This means more and more people are dropping out of the labor force and spending less and less money.

"The retirement wave is just starting," notes Gluskin Sheff's David Rosenberg. "This is the primary reason for the secular decline in the participation rate. Indeed, from 2010 to 2013, more than 60% of labor force dropouts were retirees — more than double the share for the prior three years."

Graphically, the trend is breathtaking.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-boomers-turning-65-2014-3#ixzz2xlmxgQYk