Inflation is cooling and American workers, broadly speaking, have experienced significant wage gains in recent years. But they've also been persistently pessimistic about the economy during one of the most remarkable recoveries on record.
One explanation for the disconnect is "cost of living creep"—spending more money on the same goods and services as in prior years (not to be confused with lifestyle creep, which refers to increasing spending as one's income grows). A full 80% of Americans say they're experiencing this price creep, according to a new survey by Intuit Credit Karma, which takes a different look at why so many people—despite some rosier economic data—aren't necessarily happy with the state of their finances.
