Before you decide to hate me, understand I know what it’s like to be broke, and worse than being broke I know what it’s like to just barely get by month after month.

Two hundred and fifty million people in the wealthiest country on the planet are barely making it. I am not talking about the people on food stamps or unemployment, I am talking about people making an average of $48,000 to $68,000 annually. Consider that almost 75 percent of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.

In 2013, a person making $63,000 (before taxes) spent an average of $49,000 to $51,000 on housing, transportation, food, insurance, entertainment, childcare, health care and other expenditures. Take 20 percent out of that formula for taxes and you have no money left over for savings or investments.

You are having money issues because you have money issues. Here are a few of them:

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