Here's another headline that underscores America's savings problems: Two-thirds of U.S. adults would struggle to handle a $1,000 crisis.
A survey conducted by the Associated Press found that three-quarters of those making less than $50,000 a year say they would have a tough time scraping together $1,000 in the event of an emergency. That dovetails with a recent study that found that nearly half of Americans would struggle to pay a $400 bill.
What is truly alarming is that those with higher incomes aren't that much less likely to report a similar lack of savings. Two-thirds of those with incomes between $50,000 and $100,000 say they would have difficulty fielding $1,000.
Things are much better for those making over $100,000 a year, but low bank account balances are by no means a rarity among those with six-figure salaries. Thirty-eight percent of such Americans, who are in the top 20 percent of incomes, say they'd struggle to come up with $1,000 on short notice.
Confronted with a $1,000 bill, a third say they would borrow money from the bank, friends or family, or put the bill on a credit card. Eleven percent say they wouldn't pay the bill at all, while 13 percent say they would, but by skipping other bills.
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