ears.

In June of 2006, 4.6% of the available workforce in America was unemployed for an average of 18.4 weeks. For workers over 45 years of age, this unemployment period jumped to 23.8 weeks. That is over 5 months. Compare this to the statistic in the Introduction of this report that reveals many Americans have less than 3 months worth of cash and assets av

It's been said that 80% of America is two missed paychecks away from financial disaster. Do you fit this mold? What would happen if you were laid off without pay tomorrow? Can Americans look forward to a secure retirement under Social Security or the company pension plan?

Current labor statistics do not paint a pretty picture, with quality jobs being outsourced overseas quicker than new jobs are being created. Sure, there are always low paying, low skill jobs available. But who can support a family on minimum wage?

Manufacturing jobs in particular have taken a beating in the marketplace during the past few decades, with some states, like Michigan, losing over 23,000 jobs in the course of a year. According to Labor Department figures, 26 states have seen manufacturing job losses in the past year. The federal government claims many of these displaced workers are receiving retraining, however, Bureau of Labor Statistics cites fewer than 204,000 displaced workers qualified for retraining in 2003, and only 47,000 actually received training assistance. The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines displaced workers as, “persons 20 years of age and older who lost or left jobs because their plant or company closed or moved, there was insufficient work for them to do, or their position or shift was abolished.” During the January 2001 through December 2003 period, 5.3 million workers were displaced from jobs they had held for at least 3 years.

In June of 2006, 4.6% of the available workforce in America was unemployed for an average of 18.4 weeks. For workers over 45 years of age, this unemployment period jumped to 23.8 weeks. That is over 5 months. Compare this to the statistic in the Introduction of this report that reveals many Americans have less than 3 months worth of cash and assets ava

sourced overseas quicker than new jobs are being created. Sure, there are always low paying, low skill jobs available. But who can support a family on minimum wage?

Manufacturing jobs in particular have taken a beating in the marketplace during the past few decades, with some states, like Michigan, losing over 23,000 jobs in the course of a year. According to Labor Department figures, 26 states have seen manufacturing job losses in the past year. The federal government claims many of these displaced workers are receiving retraining, however, Bureau of Labor Statistics cites fewer than 204,000 displaced workers qualified for retraining in 2003, and only 47,000 actually received training assistance. The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines displaced workers as, “persons 20 years of age and older who lost or left jobs because their plant or company closed or moved, there was insufficient work for them to do, or their position or shift was abolished.” During the January 2001 through December 2003 period, 5.3 million workers were displaced from jobs they had held for at least 3 years.

In June of 2006, 4.6% of the available workforce in America was unemployed for an average of 18.4 weeks. For workers over 45 years of age, this unemployment period jumped to 23.8 weeks. That is over 5 months. Compare this to the statistic in the Introduction of this report that reveals many Americans have less than 3 months worth of cash and assets av

to Labor Department figures, 26 states have seen manufacturing job losses in the past year. The federal government claims many of these displaced workers are receiving retraining, however, Bureau of Labor Statistics cites fewer than 204,000 displaced workers qualified for retraining in 2003, and only 47,000 actually received training assistance. The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines displaced workers as, “persons 20 years of age and older who lost or left jobs because their plant or company closed or moved, there was insufficient work for them to do, or their position or shift was abolished.” During the January 2001 through December 2003 period, 5.3 million workers were displaced from jobs they had held for at least 3 years.

In June of 2006, 4.6% of the available workforce in America was unemployed for an average of 18.4 weeks. For workers over 45 years of age, this unemployment period jumped to 23.8 weeks. That is over 5 months. Compare this to the statistic in the Introduction of this report that reveals many Americans have less than 3 months worth of cash and assets av

or Statistics defines displaced workers as, “persons 20 years of age and older who lost or left jobs because their plant or company closed or moved, there was insufficient work for them to do, or their position or shift was abolished.” During the January 2001 through December 2003 period, 5.3 million workers were displaced from jobs they had held for at least 3 years.

In June of 2006, 4.6% of the available workforce in America was unemployed for an average of 18.4 weeks. For workers over 45 years of age, this unemployment period jumped to 23.8 weeks. That is over 5 months. Compare this to the statistic in the Introduction of this report that reveals many Americans have less than 3 months worth of cash and assets av

ears.

In June of 2006, 4.6% of the available workforce in America was unemployed for an average of 18.4 weeks. For workers over 45 years of age, this unemployment period jumped to 23.8 weeks. That is over 5 months. Compare this to the statistic in the Introduction of this report that reveals many Americans have less than 3 months worth of cash and assets available to sustain them without continuing income. Of course, there is unemployment insurance, but this may take weeks to kick in, is a degrading and frustrating process, and is certainly no route to achieving the standard of living your family deserves.

Of the 7.6 million Americans unemployed at one time or another in the past year, 4.3 million lost their job due to completion of temporary projects, 3.7 million were laid off, and 1.9 suffered permanent job loss through no apparent fault of their own. To top it off, the median weekly wage and salary for working Americans in 2005 was $651. It hardly seems worth the effort. Yet, 123 million American go to work everyday, living paycheck to paycheck. Over 13 million of these people work in “alternative” job arrangements as independent contractors, on-call laborers, and temporary services. Additionally, in 2004 nearly 8 million Americans worked multiple jobs simultaneously—just to make ends meet.

Books like “The 17 Principles of Creating Wealth,” by Phillip Collinsworth, and “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” by Robert Kiyosaki make the above points clear and encourage people to find security by creating small businesses, reducing careless spending on depreciable assets, and making wise investments for long-term growth. You can learn more about these subjects, and access free creating wealth reports at http://www.wealthsearch.org