A recent study found that people who marry accumulate twice as much personal wealth as someone who remains single or divorced, primarily because two people live cheaper than one. Divorce erodes three-quarters of a person's personal net worth, although women are hit harder than men (Source: Journal of Sociology, January 2006).
One-third of newly retired people, with an average age of 61, return to work within 18 months (Source: Journal of Financial Planning, Mary 2006).
Approximately 39% of taxpayers made no attempt to minimize their 2005 income taxes (Source: Wall Street Journal Online, 2006).
Only 44% of businesses that employ fewer than 100 workers offer a retirement plan (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006).
Approximately 70% of low- and moderate-income households use credit cards to pay their basic living expenses (Source: Journal of Financial Planning, May 2006).
Housing prices increased an average of 13% in 2005 (Source: Office of Federal Housing Oversight, 2006).