The new normal: From families to Nobel winners, it’s all about less (TIME)

Apparently, going with less is the new normal for Americans. Anyone looking for a job should expect working more for less pay. Homeowners have less equity. Nobel Prize winners will only receive $1.1 million—20% less than what it was—because the Nobel Foundation’s portfolio lost 8% last year. Median family net worth has fallen and median family income is down $3,800 to $45,800. The middle class lost a larger share of their wealth and income that either the poor or the rich, according to a Federal Reserve Report. There is some good news among these less-than-stellar findings: The share of households reporting any kind of debt fell 2.1 percentage points to 74.9%, credit card debt fell 6.7 percentage points to 39.4%, and the median balance fell 16.1% to $2,600. Contributing to the lower debt load—Americans are carrying fewer credit cards.