IS AMERICA BECOMING TOO EXPENSIVE TO LIVE IN? FAMILIES RELYING ON CREDIT CARDS, BUSINESSES UNDER PRESSURE, AND MILLIONS OF JOBS STILL UNFILLED
The U.S. economy continues to function, but for many families and small business owners, the reality on the street feels very different. We already know the problem. Now we need to seriously discuss how to deal with it.
By Juan V. Fanti, MBA, CAA, PA
There is an enormous difference between looking at the economy through a chart and looking at it from a family's kitchen table.
An economic report may tell us that inflation is moderating.
But a mother walks into the grocery store and pays more.
A worker fills the gas tank and immediately feels the difference.
A family renews its lease and discovers that its old household budget no longer works.
A small business owner pays payroll, insurance, rent, electricity, inventory, financing and taxes and begins asking:
How long can we continue like this?
Then something even more dangerous can happen.
When income is no longer enough to cover the month, families cannot simply stop buying food or gasoline.
They turn to credit.
And once we begin financing basic necessities with expensive debt, the problem is no longer simply inflation.
It becomes a household financial problem.
THE NUMBERS HELP EXPLAIN WHY HOUSEHOLD BUDGETS ARE UNDER PRESSURE
U.S. consumer prices increased 3.4% during the 12 months ending in July 2026.
Food prices increased 3.0%.
Shelter increased 3.2%.
Energy prices were 14.7% higher than a year earlier.
And gasoline, despite declining during July, was approximately 24.6% higher than its level one year earlier.
That helps explain something we hear constantly:
“They tell me inflation is getting better, but my money buys less.”
Those statements are not necessarily contradictory.
When inflation slows, it means prices are increasing more slowly.
It does not mean prices have returned to where they used to be.
BUT NOW WE HAVE ANOTHER PROBLEM: CREDIT CARDS
Recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed that American households ended the second quarter of 2026 with approximately:
$1.263 TRILLION IN CREDIT CARD BALANCES
During the quarter alone, credit card balances increased by approximately $21 billion.
Total household debt reached approximately $18.77 trillion.
And approximately 4.7% of outstanding household debt was in some stage of delinquency.
These numbers deserve our attention.
But there is another issue that brings the problem even closer to everyday life.
Recent consumer surveys and reports indicate that many Americans are struggling with the cost of food, while some consumers are increasingly using credit and short-term financing arrangements to cover groceries, gasoline and other necessities.
Not every one of those purchases is necessarily made with a traditional credit card.
But the financial message is the same:
We are beginning to finance consumption that disappears almost immediately.
BUYING FOOD WITH DEBT CAN BECOME A TRAP
Imagine a family purchases $300 worth of groceries with a credit card.
Then gasoline.
Then medication.
Then another household bill.
The credit card statement arrives, but the family cannot pay the full balance.
So they make the minimum payment.
The following month, they need groceries again.
And they use the card again.
Now we have:
new consumption + previous debt + interest.
The following month:
more consumption + more debt + more interest.
That is how the snowball begins.
There is also a fundamental difference between financing a house and financing food.
The house may continue to be an asset.
The groceries disappeared weeks ago, but the debt used to buy them can remain for months or even years.
That is one of the most dangerous imbalances that can develop in a household budget.
HIGH INTEREST RATES CAN MAKE THE PROBLEM MUCH WORSE
When a family can only make minimum payments, an increasing portion of its income stops being available to improve its quality of life.
Instead, that money is used to:
pay interest on yesterday's expenses.
Eventually, a critical point can be reached.
The individual works.
Receives a paycheck.
But before purchasing anything new, part of that next paycheck is already committed.
Credit cards.
Vehicle payments.
Rent.
Loans.
Insurance.
Utilities.
And then groceries again.
The family still has income, but it has lost financial flexibility.
That is exactly what we need to prevent.
7.36 MILLION JOB OPENINGS: HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?
At the same time that American families are experiencing financial pressure, the United States had approximately 7.359 million job openings at the end of June 2026.
The national job openings rate was approximately 4.4%.
But we need to make an important professional distinction:
7.36 million job openings does NOT mean that the United States is “short exactly 7.36 million workers.”
A position can remain vacant because of wages, location, skills, working conditions, turnover or many other factors.
Nevertheless, the number demonstrates the extraordinary quantity of positions businesses are attempting to fill.
WHERE IS THE DEMAND?
The latest June national data provide the following picture by major U.S. region:
| Region | Approx. Job Openings | Job Openings Rate |
|---|---|---|
| South | 2.856 million | 4.5% |
| West | 1.836 million | 4.7% |
| Midwest | 1.474 million | 4.2% |
| Northeast | 1.194 million | 4.0% |
| United States | 7.359 million | 4.4% |
When looking at individual states, we need to be equally careful.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics changed its state-level JOLTS publication methodology in 2026. Therefore, the most recent comparable state figures available use 2025 annual averages, rather than June 2026 figures.
We should not mix them as though they represented the same reporting period.
MAJOR STATES — AVERAGE JOB OPENINGS DURING 2025
| State | Average Job Openings |
|---|---|
| California | 669,000 |
| Florida | 426,000 |
| Georgia | 289,000 |
| Illinois | 270,000 |
| Arizona | 151,000 |
| Indiana | 140,000 |
| Colorado | 127,000 |
| Alabama | 105,000 |
These are annual averages and should not be interpreted as estimates of the exact number of vacancies existing today.
They are included to illustrate the geographic magnitude of labor demand across the United States.
RESTAURANTS, HOTELS, FARMS, CONSTRUCTION AND SERVICE BUSINESSES FEEL THE PRESSURE
When a business has difficulty finding workers, its alternatives are limited.
Pay more.
Reduce operating hours.
Automate.
Eliminate certain services.
Operate with fewer employees.
Accept lower production.
Or increase prices.
That can create a chain reaction:
worker shortages → higher costs → reduced capacity → higher prices
But we should not oversimplify the issue.
We cannot attribute every labor shortage to immigration.
Retirements, demographic changes, wages, training, geographic location and many other factors also contribute.
At the same time, it would be unrealistic to ignore the fact that several major U.S. industries rely significantly on immigrant workers.
When communities lose working-age residents—whether because families voluntarily return to their countries, because of immigration changes or for other reasons—some local economies and particular industries can feel the impact.
THERE ARE THINGS ECONOMIC STATISTICS CANNOT SHOW ME, BUT MY DESK CAN
After many years of working with clients, you begin to see the economy from a different perspective.
Not only through economic indexes.
I see it when a client calls worried.
I see it when a business that previously generated significant profits begins aggressively reducing expenses.
I see it when a family that built a life in the United States begins questioning whether it can still afford to maintain that life.
And I see it when clients decide to leave the United States or return to their countries of origin.
As a professional, that concerns me.
As an American citizen, it also hurts me.
Because behind every client who leaves, there is more than one fewer tax return.
There is a family.
A home that may become vacant.
Consumption that disappears.
A vehicle that may no longer be purchased.
Restaurants that lose customers.
Businesses that lose sales.
And, in some cases, a company that stops producing income and paying taxes in the United States.
I am not suggesting that this alone explains the economic situation of the entire country.
But it is a reality we are observing directly among some clients, and it deserves to be part of the conversation.
ORDINARY AMERICANS DO NOT LIVE INSIDE AN ECONOMIC CHART
Most families do not begin their morning by checking GDP.
Their first concern is usually not what happened overnight in Europe, Asia or the Middle East.
They wake up thinking:
Do I have a job?
How much will groceries cost this week?
How much does it cost to fill my gas tank?
Can I afford my rent?
Can I buy a home?
How is my business doing?
Can I pay my credit cards?
What kind of future will my children have?
Of course, events outside the United States matter.
We live in a global economy, and international conflicts can ultimately affect energy, trade, financial markets and prices here at home.
But for millions of Americans, their first economic concern is what is happening inside their own household.
And when that reality does not match what they expected for the economic future of the country, frustration and disappointment can develop.
We need to listen to that as well.
SO WHAT DO WE DO?
We can spend months arguing about who is responsible.
The Government.
The Federal Reserve.
International prices.
Corporations.
Immigration.
Wages.
Consumers.
But none of those arguments will pay next month's credit card bill.
From an accountant's desk, I prefer to ask a different question:
WHAT CAN WE CONTROL?
That is where the most important part of this conversation begins.
1. BUILD A BUDGET BASED ON REALITY, NOT MEMORY
It does not matter what your lifestyle cost in 2022.
We need to determine what your life costs in August 2026.
Review at least 90 days of:
bank statements, credit cards, Zelle transactions, automatic payments, subscriptions, insurance, restaurants, delivery services, vehicles, gasoline, groceries and entertainment.
Classify every dollar.
That is where financial leaks begin to appear.
2. IF YOU ARE BUYING GROCERIES WITH A CREDIT CARD AND CANNOT PAY THE BALANCE IN FULL, THAT IS A WARNING
It does not automatically mean you are financially irresponsible.
It means there may be a structural household cash-flow deficit that needs to be addressed.
Certain expenses may need to be reduced.
Others renegotiated.
Services eliminated.
Debt reorganized.
Income increased.
Or several of these measures combined.
But ignoring the problem while continuing to make only minimum payments allows the snowball to keep growing.
3. YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS A BUDGET TOO
A business owner cannot simply ask:
“How much did we sell?”
The owner needs to understand:
Revenue
Gross Profit
Payroll
Operating Expenses
Accounts Receivable
Accounts Payable
Debt
Cash Flow
Tax Liability
Net Profit
Because a company can generate:
$1 million in revenue and still be heading toward financial trouble.
Another company may generate $500,000 and be highly profitable.
Revenue alone does not tell the entire story.
4. IDENTIFY FINANCIAL LEAKS
This applies to individuals and businesses alike.
Insurance policies that have not been reviewed in years.
Duplicate services.
Interest expenses.
Subscriptions.
Inventory losses.
Unnecessary overtime.
Vehicles.
Commissions.
Software.
Financing costs.
Expenses that started small but gradually became permanent.
Money rarely disappears all at once.
Very often, it leaks away little by little.
5. LEGALLY PAYING LESS TAX IS ALSO PART OF FINANCIAL PLANNING
I want to be extremely clear about this point.
Tax planning is not tax evasion.
We are not talking about hiding income.
We are not talking about inventing expenses.
We are not talking about creating fictitious dependents.
We are talking about analyzing each taxpayer's circumstances and properly utilizing opportunities permitted under the Internal Revenue Code and applicable law.
A company may need to review its business structure.
A business owner may need retirement planning.
A property may provide legitimate depreciation opportunities.
Different investments can have different tax consequences.
There may be legitimate planning involving business expenses, assets, losses, tax credits and the timing of certain transactions.
But it must be done legally—and preferably before the year ends.
Tax planning begins before the tax return, not after it.
6. WE NEED FINANCIAL RESERVES
A household without an emergency reserve may be one car repair away from using a credit card.
A business without reserves may be one unpaid customer away from needing expensive financing.
Emergency savings are not wasted money.
They are protection against future debt.
I DO NOT WANT TO SEE OUR CLIENTS REACH A POINT OF DESPERATION
This may be the most important reason I am writing this article.
We are seeing people reduce expenses to the absolute minimum.
We are seeing worried business owners.
We are seeing families reconsider their future.
And some of these individuals were previously high-profile clients whose businesses generated substantial profits and significant tax liabilities year after year.
That teaches us something extremely important:
A HIGH INCOME DOES NOT GUARANTEE PERMANENT FINANCIAL STABILITY.
Circumstances change.
The economy changes.
Businesses change.
Families change.
Our financial planning must change as well.
AT 200GFS, WE WANT TO SIT DOWN WITH OUR CLIENTS BEFORE THE PROBLEM EXISTS
We do not want to wait until March or April to discover what happened during the previous year.
We want to analyze:
How much money is coming in?
How much is going out?
Where is money being lost?
How expensive is the debt?
What is the real cash flow?
Is the business producing sufficient margins?
Are adequate reserves available?
Is the client building wealth?
Are taxes being paid correctly?
Are there legitimate strategies that could reduce the client's tax burden?
And then we can build a budget and financial strategy appropriate for that particular individual or business.
There is no universal budget.
AMERICA IS STILL A GREAT COUNTRY. THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE SHOULD IGNORE ITS PROBLEMS.
As an American citizen, I want this country to grow.
I want to see businesses prosper.
I want to see families build wealth.
I want to see our clients buy homes, create businesses, hire workers and pay taxes because they are making money.
And precisely because we want a strong country, we must also be willing to recognize when families and small businesses are under pressure.
Loving a country does not mean pretending everything is perfect.
It also means wanting it to improve.
WE CANNOT CONTROL THE ECONOMY. WE CAN CONTROL OUR DECISIONS.
Today we are looking at approximately:
3.4% annual inflation.
4.1% unemployment.
7.359 million job openings.
$1.263 trillion in credit card balances.
And millions of families attempting to adjust their budgets to a more expensive reality.
We cannot determine tomorrow's gasoline price.
We cannot control interest rates.
We cannot control Washington.
But we can decide:
how much we spend,
how much we owe,
how much we save,
how effectively we manage our businesses,
how intelligently we plan our taxes,
and what we do today to protect our financial future.
If you feel that you are making money but do not know where it goes, if your business generates sales but never seems to have enough cash, if you are using credit cards to cover basic necessities, or if every tax season you find yourself asking why you owe so much:
DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE PROBLEM BECOMES BIGGER.
At Two Hundred Global Financial Solutions — 200GFS, we can work with you to analyze your personal and business financial situation, develop a realistic budget, identify financial leaks, and evaluate legitimate tax-planning opportunities applicable to your particular circumstances.
Because perhaps the real challenge of 2026 is not simply:
making more money.
It may be:
LEARNING HOW TO KEEP MORE OF THE MONEY YOU ARE ALREADY MAKING.
Juan V. Fanti, MBA, CAA, PA
Two Hundred Global Financial Solutions, LLC — 200GFS
📲 +1 (954) 683-3578
🌐 200GFS.com
This article is provided for general informational and educational purposes. Economic figures correspond to the most recently available data discussed in the original analysis. Financial, accounting and tax strategies must be evaluated according to each individual's or business's particular circumstances.
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