Currently, we're in the throes of a hugely cynical election cycle--one where many candidates are exploiting economic anxiety while offering few specific solutions outside of "shrinking government." Well, here's something specific: medical costs will continue to rise and more people will find themselves in debt because of it. More reform,...

Last Monday, Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) proposed the immediate freezing of interest rates on existing balances for the estimated 700 million credit cards in circulation. Since the passage of the Credit CARD Act of 2009, which outlaws several common abusive lending practices -- particularly the retroactive raising of interest...

It has been six months since Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated that "we'll see the recession coming to an end probably this year" in an interview on CBS' 60 Minutes. With the end of 2009 approaching, it remains to be seen: for whom? Certainly not for Americans 25...

This past Saturday, Demos along with the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP), New Yorkers for Responsible Lending (NYRL) and Consumer Union joined Congresswoman Maloney (D-NY) and U.S. Senator Schumer (D-NY) in encouraging the U.S. Senate to continue the quick and steady passage of the Credit...

I wrote last week about the value of scrutinizing financial products through the lens of race, but that is only one piece of the puzzle. Melvin Oliver, dean of social sciences at the University of California at Santa Barbara, sums up the racial wealth gap quite well:

"For every...

Democratic lawmakers in Congress last week introduced legislation to create a Financial Product Safety Commission to ensure that mortgages, credit cards and retirement accounts do not pose unacceptable risks to consumers. Such a move would provide consumers with their first real protections in decades -- but the effort will...