Every Fourth of July celebrates this nation’s founding. But this year, only a few days before the annual freedom celebration, an ill-advised governmental action will financially doom rather than free millions of student loan borrowers – as of July 1. Moreover, this action arrives as the cost…

Nearly 90 years ago, Kelly Miller (1863-1939), a black sociologist and mathematician, said, “The Negro is up against the white man’s standard, without the white man’s opportunity.” As the first black man to enroll as a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University in 1908, Miller also authore…

Every budget defines priorities and values. To put it another way, what’s really important in life gets supported financially. For many families, having a home, food, and utilities usually rank pretty high. Then there are other budgetary concerns like saving for college or having a ‘rainy da…

Every year the payday lending industry convenes in an effort to further expand and preserve the combined $8 billion in fees generated each year by consumers caught in payday and car-title loans. This year also marks the second consecutive year that the organization representing sellers of th…

On March 7, the House Financial Services Committee, chaired by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-California), marked the first time that the new director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) appeared for a hearing in this capacity. Entitled “Putting Consumers First? A Semi-Annual Revi…

In an increasingly competitive global economy, highly skilled workers have a sharp advantage in securing and keeping employment. And as technological advances result in life-long learning in many occupations, many worker-students turn to federal student aid, the largest source of funding for…

In recent months, many economists and lawmakers have frequently touted how the nation’s economy is performing really well, often citing historically low unemployment rates. I’ve always felt that such pronouncements failed to consider the untold millions of Americans who are eking out a livin…

In 43 states and the District of Columbia, driver’s licenses can be suspended because of unpaid court debt. In most locales, once a driver’s license is suspended, it can retain that designation indefinitely. Only four states currently require an “ability-to-repay” or a “willfulness” determin…

For many consumers, the New Year brings an annual effort to file taxes early enough to help pay off big bills, replace major appliances or tuck away a few bucks. With a continuing federal shutdown, this year there are also an estimated 800,000 federal workers who have not had a payday since …

Once again on the third Monday in January, much of the nation will mark the anniversary of the death of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Countless programs and events will no doubt recall several of his famous speeches from the 1963 March on Washington’s “I Have A Dream to his “I’ve …

Following the death of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, a week of glowing remarks of the elder statesman overshadowed any negative press the former leader received in the past. There was no reference to the racist campaign ad centered on Willy Horton, no mention of his so-called war o…

A decade has passed since the housing collapse.  In that time, bank profits are back and continue to rise. Despite occasional trading fluctuations, the stock market remains profitable for most investors. Then there’s the low rate of unemployment that is often cited as if economic strides hav…

With 44 million people together owing $1.5 trillion in student debt, consumers have a huge investment in higher education. And as the price of college continues to rise, student loan borrowing will continue its upward trajectory.

In just a few weeks, civil rights and housing advocates will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act. Just four days following the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Congress passed the law on April 10, 1968.

As millions of students return to school, the nation’s Justice Department (DOJ) is beginning an investigation that could potentially sue universities over affirmative action admissions policies. As first reported by the New York Times, Justice’s Civil Rights Division will carry out this effo…

For the 12th consecutive year, America’s national homeownership rate has declined, according Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS)’ annual report, State of the Nation’s Housing 2017.  This year’s report also found these declines vary by race and ethnicity.

While economists contend that the economic recession is over, the reality for much of Black America is starkly different. Racial disparities in unemployment and under-employment persist. And homeownership, a key measure of economic health for consumers and communities alike, continues its do…