low-income families

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Giving Cash to Poor Families Might Not Help the Kids

4-year trial finds no measurable boost in child development outcomes

(Newser) - A major new study finds direct cash payments to low-income families may not actually boost young children's development, challenging a widely held belief. The ambitious Baby's First Years experiment tracked 1,000 low-income mothers in four US cities, randomly assigning half to receive $333 in monthly, no-strings-attached...

Mediterranean Diet Has a Downside
Mediterranean Diet
Has a Downside
NEW STUDY
Aug 2, 2017 10:44 AM CDT

Mediterranean Diet Has a Downside

The rich, well-educated benefit the most, study says

(Newser) - Despite its many purported advantages , the Mediterranean diet might not be all it's cracked up to be. According to a new study in the International Journal of Epidemiology , its effects depend largely on socioeconomic status. Researchers surveyed 19,000 people ages 35 and over in Italy, giving each a...

Amazon Just Made a Major Play for Walmart Customers

Company offers discounted Prime memberships to low-income customers

(Newser) - Amazon figured out a great way to appear altruistic while also taking a shot at its biggest competitor, announcing a discounted Prime member for low-income Americans on Tuesday. Yahoo reports the 45% discount lowers the cost of Prime, which bestows free two-day delivery, to $5.99 for anyone with an...

eBay Founder Invests $500K to Test Theory on Income

Charity arm will give money to poor in Kenya for 12 years

(Newser) - The concept of basic income is a simple idea: Impoverished people receive a fixed amount of money on a regular basis to pay for necessities such as food, clothing, and housing. While the limited research available suggests that it can provide a host of benefits—lowering drug and alcohol abuse,...

McDonald's to Workers: Need Cash? Sell Your Stuff

Spend less on food by breaking it 'into pieces'

(Newser) - More handy financial advice from McDonald's, which recently suggested its workers might want to get second jobs : The chain's McResource tip website says readers can make money in a pinch by selling "unwanted possessions on eBay or Craigslist." The advice comes in a section on "...

Rich and Poor Have Different Toxins in Bodies
 Rich and Poor 
 Have Different 
 Toxins in Bodies 
in case you missed it
Aug 10, 2013 7:00 PM CDT

Rich and Poor Have Different Toxins in Bodies

It's sushi and sunscreen vs. cigarettes

(Newser) - It might be the weirdest indicator of wealth, or lack thereof, yet: Generally speaking, rich people and poor people have different toxins in their bodies, according to a new study spotted by Quartz . For example, rich people tend to have greater levels of things such as mercury and arsenic, probably...

McDonald's Advice to Its Workers: Get Second Job
McDonald's Advice to Its Workers: Get
a Second Job
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 21, 2013 7:00 PM CDT

McDonald's Advice to Its Workers: Get a Second Job

And heating is a luxury in sample budget

(Newser) - McDonald's has a new budgeting tool for its employees, but the advice on " Practical Money Skills for Life " is pretty laughable, critics are pointing out. The site, a partnership with Visa, is supposed to help these low-wage workers learn how to manage their money, ThinkProgress reports, but...

Top Low-Income Students Blow Off the Best Colleges

Strivers feel no connection to far-off schools

(Newser) - The majority of high-achieving, low-income students never even apply to America's top colleges—despite financial aid that could make it affordable, according to a new study. The analysis, by two education researchers, found that just 34% of successful but low-income students went to one of America's 238 best...

Why Many People Go Without a Bank Account

'Time' lists four reasons why people use outside services

(Newser) - Nearly a third of Americans are "underbanked," meaning they lack access to a full array banking services—but why? The question is particularly pressing when you consider that cashing checks and paying bills without a bank account can cost an extra $380 a year. What's more, low-income,...

Rich, Poor Kids Face Widening Education Gap

Achievement divide soars since 1960s, studies say

(Newser) - There's a vast gap in educational success between lower-income and wealthy children, studies say—a divide that has received relatively little attention until now. In recent decades, the achievement gap between rich and poor children has grown as the gap between black and white students has shrunk, the New ...

Nearly Half of Americans Are Poor, Low-Income
Nearly Half of Americans
Are Poor, Low-Income
CENSUS SAYS
Dec 15, 2011 10:26 AM CST

Nearly Half of Americans Are Poor, Low-Income

New metric includes living costs

(Newser) - Nearly 1 in 2 Americans are living either below the poverty level or within a stone's throw of it, according to a new Census metric designed to give a more complete view of poverty. According to the latest data, 49.1 million Americans are below the poverty line, and...

1 in 3 Americans Poor or 'Near Poor'
1 in 3 Americans
Poor or 'Near Poor'
Nov 19, 2011 12:03 PM CST

1 in 3 Americans Poor or 'Near Poor'

Census figures show spike in people just getting by: New York Times

(Newser) - More bleak census numbers: About 100 million Americans, or 1 in 3, are either living in poverty or not too far above the official level, reports the New York Times . Specifically, 51 million people have incomes less than 50% above the poverty line, and this group described by the newspaper...

Comcast Plans $10 Internet for Low-Income Families

Plan stems from NBC merger

(Newser) - Comcast is readying a discount Internet service for families whose kids receive free lunches by way of the National School Lunch program, the company announced on its blog . For $9.95 a month, families who live in one of the 39 states Comcast serves with at least one child participating...

Jeff Smink: Why We Need Summer School

 Why We Need Summer School 
opinion
Jul 28, 2011 2:32 PM CDT

Why We Need Summer School

Low-income kids lose two months' worth of learning each year: Jeff Smink

(Newser) - Americans hate to sacrifice the traditional “lazy summer”—but the long breaks are taking a toll on kids’ education. “Summers off are one of the most important, yet least acknowledged, causes of underachievement in our schools,” writes Jeff Smink in the New York Times . On average,...

Wal-Mart to Storm Big Cities With Small Stores

Retailer makes a pitch to urban America

(Newser) - Wal-Mart is looking to take Manhattan—as well as large US cities—by opening a slew of small- and mid-sized stores in urban America, the Wall Street Journal reports. Wal-Marts as small as 30,000 square feet—six times smaller than the average "supercenter"—are headed to unfamiliar...

Quarter of US Households Have Limited Bank Access

Minorities, low-income families hit hardest

(Newser) - A quarter of US households have little or no access to banks—relying instead on nontraditional services such as check-cashing shops, pawn shops, or payday loans, and often paying exorbitant interest rates. The first comprehensive survey of its kind by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. showed that 71% of families...

Poverty May Be a Brain Drain
Poverty May Be a Brain Drain
Dec 6, 2008 5:40 PM CST

Poverty May Be a Brain Drain

Low-income kids respond less to visual data; researchers point to talk at home

(Newser) - Children from poor families absorb information less effectively than their wealthier peers, the BBC reports. Using brain scans, scientists measured the cerebral activity of 9- and 10-year-olds after briefly showing them images. “The low socioeconomic kids were not detecting or processing the visual stimuli as well,” said one...

CEO Pays $1M for Front-Row DC Gala for Disadvantaged

Wounded soldiers, poor, ill will be invited, catered to during 'People's Inauguration'

(Newser) - The fairy godmother of inauguration balls is Earl Stafford, a Virginia businessman who plans to host disadvantaged Americans at “The People’s Inauguration.” The devout Baptist paid $1 million for a build-your-own-ball opportunity at a hotel along the Washington parade rout, and promises to spend more to offer...

Gas Prices Hit Hardest in Rural Areas—not Suburbs

The South, Southwest, and upper Great Plains feel brunt of $4 fuel

(Newser) - Gas prices, which hit an all-time-high average of $4 a gallon over the weekend, are causing more pain in rural America than anywhere else, with motorists in the South, Southwest, and the upper Great Plains the hardest hit. With relatively low wages and high use of pickup trucks and vans,...

Rising Cost of Essentials Slams Poor Families

Prices of "core" items are rising twice as fast as wages

(Newser) - The rising price of essentials and sluggish growth in wages mean that inflation is hitting low- to middle-income families hardest, the Washington Post reports. Americans are paying 9.2% more for staples—groceries, gas, health care, etc.— than they did in 2006, nearly twice the pace of the growth...

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