End of the Good Life: How the Financial Crisis Threatens a Lost Generation--And What We Can Do about It - Paperback

by Riva Froymovich (Author)

Financial journalist Riva Froymovich has good reason to be anxious about the financial turmoil facing Generation Y. This is her generation.

Indeed, Generation Y has suffered the brunt of the financial crisis and great recession. For those in the U.S. born after 1976, the American dream is becoming a nightmare of stalled economic mobility. Swamped in student loan debt they're postponing marriage and buying homes, unable to save money, and delaying having children.

The End of the Good Life: How the Financial Crisis Threatens a Lost Generation--and What We Can Do About It examines short-sighted government policies and initiatives that will wreak havoc on our youth. In addition to offering concrete policy suggestions, this book is driven by the touching personal stories of Americans and other young people around the globe affected by the financial crisis and widespread youth unemployment.

How did the promise of the American Dream unravel for an entire generation, and what can be done to fix it?

• The Great Recession's True Cost: Go beyond the headlines to understand how the 2008 collapse created a "lost generation" by dismantling the traditional pathways to adulthood.
• The Student Loan Trap: Investigate the trillion-dollar debt crisis that's preventing Millennials from buying homes, starting families, and building personal wealth.
• Failed Government Policy: An incisive analysis of the short-sighted decisions that rigged the labor market against the young and exacerbated the crisis.
• A New Global Reality: Journey from the U.S. and Europe to the new promised lands of Brazil and China to see how the economic landscape has permanently shifted.
• A Path Forward: Discover concrete, actionable solutions for how Generation Y--and the country--can start to save itself.

Front Jacket

Generation Y faces the bleakest economic landscape in modern history. The recent spikes in unemployment and debt, alongside a drop in marriage, home-buying, and childbearing rates, will have long-term consequences for a group that had no hand in creating the financial crisis. For these young adults, the American Dream is moving farther out of reach. Worse still, leaders aren't doing anything about it. Drawing on a wide range of reportage and interviews from across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, Riva Froymovich gives voice to those struggling in this new economy and explains the harm of shortsighted government policies--including initiatives to curb the national debt and key social programs. Through policy suggestions that focus on social enterprise and investment in economic growth, as well as inspiring stories from young entrepreneurs carving out their own way, End of The Good Life presents a deeply relevant read for Millennials, their baby boomer parents, and anyone who cares about the survival of this nation's most important tenet: the opportunity to get ahead.

Back Jacket

Generation Y faces the bleakest economic landscape in modern history. The recent spikes in unemployment and debt, alongside a drop in marriage, home-buying, and childbearing rates, will have long-term consequences for a group that had no hand in creating the financial crisis. For these young adults, the American Dream is moving farther out of reach. Worse still, leaders aren't doing anything about it. Drawing on a wide range of reportage and interviews from across the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, Riva Froymovich gives voice to those struggling in this new economy and explains the harm of shortsighted government policies--including initiatives to curb the national debt and key social programs. Through policy suggestions that focus on social enterprise and investment in economic growth, as well as inspiring stories from young entrepreneurs carving out their own way, End of The Good Life presents a deeply relevant read for Millennials, their baby boomer parents, and anyone who cares about the survival of this nation's most important tenet: the opportunity to get ahead.