GENERATION X LIVING ON CREDIT

A recent study by Allianz Life, an insurance company offering life insurance and annuities, found Generation Xers view their credit cards as a survival tool.  For those aged 35-48,  48% say credit cards help them make ends meet.  Forty-six percent(46%) pay only a partial amount of debt monthly, while 44% pay in full  and 11% do not use a  credit card.  These Gen Xers are postponing   retirement saving to pay off  student loan debt and are  facing  housing values that are now worth less than when they were purchased.  Not a good sign for the future.

COMMUTERS TO NEW YORK SPARK THE LONG ISLAND ECONOMY

Long Island commuters contribute substantially to the bi-county’s economy.  The Long Island Research Institute  recently examined the latest U.S. Census Data from its Journey To Work survey.  Thirty-nine percent (39%) of all wages and salaries Long Islanders earned are from those who commute to the city. Nassau commuters represent almost 57% of those wages and salaries returned  to the county, while Suffolk commuters earned 21%.  The New York City  continues to be very important to the Long Island economy.

TV VIEWING LOW FOR MILLENNIALS

Nielsen just released its First Quarter 2015 Total Audience Report on media consumption. It should come as no surprise that millennials (aged 18-34)  tune in using their smartphones——-spending 9.5 hours weekly , almost double the average of all adults(5.5 hours).  Their tv consumption pales compared to other adults, spending  only 22 hours weekly versus 36 hours by all adults.

QUALITIES YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS HAVE IN COMMON

The John Templeton Foundation, a philanthropic organization funding inter-disciplinary research,  conducted a study of 5,000  college students in 2014 to determine qualities that young entrepreneurs typically exhibit.  The findings reveal these aspiring entrepreneurs  display four key qualities——innovative thinking, self-control, an inclination to take the initiative, and entrepreneurial mentors who were role models that supported their entrepreneurial interests.