跟讀練習: Where Did Americans’ Savings Go? - 通過影片學習英語口語

選擇練習模式

每種模式都會開啟全屏練習室。

99 句

如果句子過短或過長，請點選 Edit 進行調整。

In 2022, the American personal saving rate fell to a low not seen since the Great Recession.

I think a lot of people have been just kind of cooped up during the pandemic times and now we're transitioning plus inflation.

So it definitely has been a little bit harder.

Economists will look at the savings dynamic and a sort of benign light savings accrued over the early part of the pandemic, and that's starting to get spent down. But on the personal level, though, that's not a pleasant process.

This real time dip in saving is stressing out a lot of people.

70% say they are stressed about their personal finances, and that includes 57% of people earning $100,000 or more.

And the main factors contributing to financial stress for the six figure set include inflation, economy wide instability, interest rates and a lack of savings.

The basic necessities of life substantially burden your income. It becomes difficult to save.

That said. Americans are sitting with a lot more savings than they had in the past.

According to bank deposit records, Americans as a whole are still better off than they've traditionally been.

How much depends on which side of the income distribution you're on.

Regardless, Americans across the board were drawing down those savings in the final quarter of 2022.

So why did Americans stop saving and what effect will that have on this massive group of people that we call the economy?

My name is Mykail, but the interwebs know me as the bougie budgeter because I make money easy. I am currently based in Phoenix, Arizona.

The majority of US households use bank accounts. Mykail represents one of these households.

I do take about 8% of my total income, and that is to my 401k contributions.

My company matches at 8%.

I also try to save an additional 15% as well as another about 10% of my take home pay I put towards my investing goals as well.

So my personal savings rate after my take home, I shoot for about a 15% and I have my savings auto deposited right into my high yield savings account because if I do not do that, then I will accidentally spend it and I am a recovering over spender.

And that was my solution to not overspending.

Collectively, Americans have trillions more in savings than they did prior to the pandemic.

For a broad swath of Americans, their financial condition is still probably better than it was pre-pandemic.

But those cash cushions are deflating for the first time in years.

The personal saving rate reflects how much income Americans hold onto after their taxes and regular spending.

It's basically just the amount of that that is not consumed.

Much of that income, particularly for what I define broadly as underserved communities, tends to go toward basic necessities like housing, food, health care, transportation.

In February 2023, the personal saving rate was hovering around 4.5%.

That's compared to a long term average of just under 9%.

You would see spikes around the dates when those stimulus checks were sent out and those were not getting spent.

Of course, the other thing that happened early in the pandemic is people were not spending money on the things that they were accustomed to spending on.

As inflation has set in, the monthly savings rate has taken a tumble.

This rate only describes one month of earning and saving. Take a look at the total deposits held by customers and banks and you'll see that there is way more value in people's accounts than any time before the pandemic.

A lot of people would point to excess savings that occurred early in the pandemic, something like 2 to 2 and one half trillion dollars in savings above what we would have otherwise expected were saved by American households.

Over the past 9 to 12 months, that stash of savings has eroded.

It's probably somewhere in the 1 to 1 and one half trillion range.

You had folks across the country accumulating a bit of a war chest of savings, and that really has helped to buoy the economy, particularly in a place like the US where consumption is such a big part of GDP.

The top half of earners have over $1 trillion in excess savings. That's nearly three times as much as the bottom half, according to federal economists. But they believed the lower half still collectively holds hundreds of billions in excess savings.

By their count, it breaks down to about 5500 per household. A note here, this may not mean that you have $5,000 in spare cash laying around.

It may have gone to pay off that amount in student debt or a mortgage or a car or to wards your retirement.

37% of Americans have not touched their pandemic savings and 45% of Americans either haven't touched it or have taken out a little bit.

But the majority is intact.

Only 17% of Americans have pretty much exhausted their pandemic savings, though.

That cushion may be beginning to shrink.

Inflation, a nd the implications for that across categories, whether it be food, whether it be fuel, whether it be rents, you're seeing cost inflation that eats into clearly people's current income, but also to the extent they have savings, it also eats into those savings because everyday things are just more expensive. And if you think about in a pre-pandemic world when a typical black family had about five days of liquid savings, there's not a whole lot of financial slack in the system to be able to weather periods of time without income.

Economists believe that the extra savings have so far kept people spending and the country from recession. At the same time, a huge swath of the population is living paycheck to paycheck, according to recent surveys.

Take a look at our poll of 1000 people across the country. What you'll find is that 69% are pessimistic about the current situation in the economy and they're pessimistic about the future. That's an all time high.

I think the consumer is doing pretty well.

The concern I have is that the whole world is talking about this recession that we're going to have, which we were supposed to have last year. Then we were supposed to have the first quarter of this year. Now we're supposed to have it the second half of this year.

Sometimes when you scare people enough into thinking there's going to be a recession, they will stop consuming and it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Federal economists note that the low interest rates of recent years are backstopping many Americans. When this rate goes to zero, the cost to loan out cash declines.

And you can see the effect playing out on this other chart.

Personal interest payments sank below longer term trend growth. With these excess savings, the economy remains strong, but they expect those stockpiles to dwindle rapidly.

These dynamics are observable around the world. Nearly all developed countries have declining household savings. Back in the States, trouble in the regional banking sector may affect the future direction of interest rates.

The Fed is trying to slow down the economy.

That reduction in lending by regional banks might very well do that work for them, which means that we may be near the end of interest rate hikes.

The Fed's interest rate can affect how much money you make from saving.

When the rate goes up, putting money away becomes more valuable.

But if it goes down, that could change what your account offers in terms of interest when you are in.

A rising interest rate environment.

Savings rates do tend to lag that process.

So right now the Fed has rates close to 5%.

I doubt that very many people can get a 5% savings rate on a typical savings or checking account.

It's a lot happening right now.

People are losing jobs.

There's just so much happening that it's okay if you're not having a 15% savings rate, but just as long as you're starting somewhere.

There are many different ways to save your money, but different methods can generate returns for you as a saver in the form of interest.

There's no easier way to save money than to have money taken out of your paycheck before you get it and have it go into a retirement plan That's either getting a tax deduction plus tax deferral, or it may just be tax free for life if it's a Roth. But either way, the money's taken out first.

Cash stored under your mattress effectively delivers a negative return, at least when the US has inflation.

As prices rise, your old money is worth less when it comes to your standard checking account. Big banks like Wells Fargo, TD Chase and Bank of America routinely offer low returns. By contrast, high yield savings accounts can deliver much more in interest.

The national average is incredibly low.

I'm high yield all the way, especially for any dollars that I'm trying to save.

I suggest always any short term savings, any long term savings. I'm not a fan of leaving in a savings account, but anything that's between six months to 24 months leave it in a high yield savings account.

The national savings interest rate was less than 1% in 2023, but some high yield accounts were netting 4%.

That's much better than in the past, but still lower than inflation.

And you may be shocked that you're still getting 0.1 or 0.3% and you can easily get north of 4% without taking any undue risk on your cash. That's a game changer.

But not every bank offers a high yield option and not everyone seeks them out. Roughly 6 million Americans were unbanked in recent years.

This means they don't use checking or savings accounts. The most common reasons were lack of funds, or they simply don't trust banks.

You've got to reset the thresholds to make sure banking is not burdensome to these individuals, particularly for folks who have lower income, lower net worth, to the extent that they are banked, their money sits in checking and savings accounts.

I think it's probably the case that a lot of families are leaving some money on the table.

A high yield account is going to also offer a better rate than you might get with a typical savings account.

You might often have to have a larger balance in that account to qualify for the higher rate.

I had one of those moms who was also a money nerd just like me, and she had a high yield savings account back in like 2006 when the high yield savings rate was like 8%.

Banks are offering higher returns for two reasons.

Number one, they're competing for your business. And number two, the interest rate hikes out of the Fed make it easier for them to lend to you at a favorable rate.

Smaller banks often use this strategy to build their deposits.

Even companies like Goldman Sachs have used this tactic, and companies like Apple are getting into the game as well. Other products, like certificates of deposit, can make your money work for you.

I actually got my first CD by myself without my mom. I was like, You know what?

I'm probably not going to use this until I graduate and I'll let that mature.

And I know that that rate is locked in, which is a lot different from a regular savings account where that rate is not locked in a.

CD usually carries a higher interest rate, but it also has a fixed term.

So your money is going to be tied up in that product until the term ends.

So there is a give and take there.

But I think for a lot of households, if they have the cash to invest over a certain period of time, the CD is a really good option right now.

But no matter how you get it done, saving it all is a good start.

Compound interest is real.

So to the extent that you can put some amount away, even if it's below the threshold that you had set out maybe a year ago or two years ago when the environment looked very different.

That's okay.

Don't be hard on yourself. Saving a dollar today is still more than saving $0 today.

So if you can only start small, start small and let that habit grow, you're still doing amazing.

下載應用

流利口語所需的一切

AI 發音評分逐句打分

音標練習掌握每個音

詞彙學習建立你的詞庫

詞彙遊戲邊玩邊學

掃碼

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

同頻道

FOR YOU

本課的詞彙與口語要點

這段影片共有 99 個句子、2067 個單詞可供跟讀。講話部分時長為 11:45。說話人語速自然，每分鐘約 176 個詞，接近日常對話。 83% 的單詞屬於英語最常用的 3,000 詞，其餘的詞建議在練習前先學一下。

影片中的重點詞彙

影片中 15 個不太常見的單詞，附發音和釋義：

yield /jiːld/ (動詞) — 產量 /產量, 產生 /產生. To give as a result or outcome; to produce or render.
inflation /ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/ (名詞) — 通貨膨脹 /通貨膨脹, 通脹 /通脹. An act, instance of, or state of expansion or increase in size, especially by injection of a gas or liquid.
deposit /dɪˈpɑ.zɪt/ (名詞) — 沉積 /沉積. Sediment or rock that is not native to its present location or is different from the surrounding material. Sometimes refers to ore or gems.
excess /ˈɛksɛs/ (名詞) — 過量 /過量, 過剩 /過剩. The state of surpassing or going beyond a limit; the state of being beyond sufficiency, necessity, or duty; more than what is usual or proper.
economist /iˈkɑ.nə.mɪst/ (名詞) — 經濟學家 /經濟學家. An expert in economics, especially one who studies economic data and extracts higher-level information or proposes theories.
recession /ɹɪˈsɛʃn̩/ (名詞) — 衰退, 退去. The act or an instance of receding or withdrawing.
extent /ɪkˈstɛnt/ (名詞) — 範圍 /範圍. A range of values or locations.
earn /ɝn/ (動詞) — 掙 /掙, 賺 /賺. To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work.
decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ (動詞) — 惡化 /惡化. To move downwards, to fall, to drop.
invest /ɪnˈvɛst/ (動詞) — 耗費 /耗費, 投資 /投資. To spend money, time, or energy on something, especially for some benefit or purpose; used with in.
threshold /ˈθɹɛʃ(h)oʊld/ (名詞) — 門檻 /門檻, 門限 /門限. The lowermost part of a doorway that one crosses to enter; a sill.
hike /haɪk/ (名詞) — 遠足 /遠足. A long walk, usually for pleasure or exercise.
lend /ˈlɛnd/ (動詞) — 借出, 借. To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.
necessity /nɪˈsɛsəti/ (名詞) — 必要性, 必要. The quality or state of being necessary, unavoidable, or absolutely requisite.
consume /kənˈsum/ (動詞) — 耗費 /耗費, 消耗. To use up.

影片中出現的短語動詞

look at (動詞) — 觀察 /觀察, 看. To observe or watch.
take out (動詞) — 取出. To remove.
draw down (動詞) — 放下, 降下. To lower (curtains, a portcullis, etc.).
go down (動詞) — 下降, 下去. To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one.
go up (動詞) — 上昇 /上升, 上去. To move upwards.
set out /ˈsɛt‿aʊt/ (動詞) — 動身 /動身. To explain something, or give exact details, usually in writing.
slow down (動詞) — 減速 /減速, 放慢. To decelerate.

需要注意的發音

說話人用了 24 次縮略和弱讀形式，例如 you're, I'm, don't。請按聽到的簡短形式來說。

“th” 音: threshold /ˈθɹɛʃ(h)oʊld/, swath /swɑθ/
“sh” 和 “zh” 音: inflation /ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/, recession /ɹɪˈsɛʃn̩/, threshold /ˈθɹɛʃ(h)oʊld/, cushion /ˈkʊʃən/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/
長單詞——注意重音位置: economist /iˈkɑ.nə.mɪst/, necessity /nɪˈsɛsəti/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, contribution /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/, certificate /səˈtɪf.ɪ.kɪt/

如何用這段影片練習

先完整聽一遍影片，不要開口，記下不認識的單詞。
先用 0.75 倍速逐句跟讀，熟練之後再回到正常速度。
錄下自己的聲音並與原聲對比，特別注意 yield, inflation, deposit 這類單詞。

影片中的語法

說話人最常用的結構，並附上影片中的原話：

結構	影片中的用法
被動語態 be + 過去分詞 — 強調發生了什麼，而不是誰做的	is not consumed · were sent · were accustomed
現在完成時 have/has + 過去分詞 — 過去發生但與現在仍有關聯的事	have been · has been · has set

什麼是跟讀法？

跟讀法 (Shadowing) 是一種有科學依據的語言學習技巧，最初開發用於專業口譯員的培訓，並由多語言者Alexander Arguelles博士普及。這個方法簡單而強大：您在聽英語母語原聲的同時立即大聲重複——就像是一個延遲1-2秒緊跟說話者的影子。與被動聽力或語法練習不同，跟讀法強迫您的大腦和口腔肌肉同時處理並模模擬實的講話模式。研究表明它能顯著提高發音準確性，語調，節奏，連讀，聽力理解和口語流利度——使其成為雅思口語備考和真實英語交流最有效的方法之一。

影子跟讀法: 閱讀完整分步指南 →

跟讀練習: Where Did Americans’ Savings Go? - 通過影片學習英語口語

選擇練習模式

下載應用

Why Bonds Are Back On Investors’ Radar

Watch AI Dock A Boat

Why Retailers Are Shrinking Their Assortments

The Rise Of Open-Source Software

Why Diamond Prices Are Falling So Fast

The Race To Power AI Is Reshaping America's Electric Grid

Why Investors Are Living Through President Trump's Stock Market

Why 7-Eleven Failed In Indonesia

Why Corporate America Is Spending More On Security

How Cheap Mortgages Are Backfiring On Homeowners

Inside Bracket22, A Trading Firm Powered By Al Agents

Why The Airline Business Is Broken

Why Hyundai’s Investing $26B In The U.S.

Why Even High Earners Are Living Paycheck To Paycheck

How Walmart Is Beating Everyone In Groceries

Inside The Real Estate Rush Behind AI

How Working For Google, Amazon, And Microsoft Lost 'Dream Job' Status

How Walmart Is Hoping Its New Tech Will Help Shoppers And Employees

How Chinese EVs Won Brazil — And Left U.S. Automakers Behind

Why Airline Ticket Prices Are Unlikely To Go Down

Where Did All The Good Jobs Go?

[B1] How to Save Money and Spend Smart | English Listening & Speaking Practice

Private Credit: The Secret Industry Taking Over Wall Street

The New American Housing Crisis Has Landed

Did the Ai Bubble just Pop?

Warren Buffett Is Selling NOW. The $397 Billion COLLAPSE.

The End Of Budget Tourism

How I Make a Living as a Minimalist without a 9 to 5 job

How America's Debt Spiral Could Spark The Next Crisis

The 50-Cent-a-Day Habit That Really CAN Build Wealth

Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Yosemite Permits, Italy Superbonus, Salary Caps (Vol. 22)

Extended interview: Jamie Dimon on AI, Iran and more