It's been a year since we got slammed by the financial crisis, marked by the fall of Lehman Brothers, the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, the bailout of AIG and the Reserve Primary Money Fund's broken buck. These events triggered drastic moves by the government to save the financial sector. Wall Street was declared dead, though it still had a pulse. Big bonus payouts to the very people who created the financial crisis caused an uproar in Washington and across the country.In the ensuing months the news was dominated by mounting foreclosures, negative equity in people's homes, job layoffs, the stock market swoon, 401(k) losses and the Great Recession. Some 7.4 million jobs were lost since the recession began in December of 2007. Nearly 15 million Americans are unemployed, according to the Department of Labor. Millions lost their homes. Main Street suffered greatly.What mistakes did consumers make in the midst of this turmoil? What, if anything, have we learned? Bankrate's reporters talked to experts to get their thoughts about what went wrong and how we should move forward, albeit with the benefit of hindsight.Biggest mistakes, and what to do now about ...•Mortgages•College 529 savings plans•Home equity•Emergency funds•Credit cards•The financial meltdown: Rates then and now•Investing in 401(k) plans Create a news alert for "smart spending" advertisementRelated Links:Quiz: Find the best cell phone plan for youHome improvement: 10 cheap upgrades6 tips for traveling with credit cardsRelated Articles:Home improvementsBest iPhone financial appsSlice the barbecue budget
It's been a year since we got slammed by the financial crisis, marked by the fall of Lehman Brothers, the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, the bailout of AIG and the Reserve Primary Money Fund's broken buck. These events triggered drastic moves by the government to save the financial sector. Wall Street was declared dead, though it still had a pulse. Big bonus payouts to the very people who created the financial crisis caused an uproar in Washington and across the country.
In the ensuing months the news was dominated by mounting foreclosures, negative equity in people's homes, job layoffs, the stock market swoon, 401(k) losses and the Great Recession. Some 7.4 million jobs were lost since the recession began in December of 2007. Nearly 15 million Americans are unemployed, according to the Department of Labor. Millions lost their homes. Main Street suffered greatly.
What mistakes did consumers make in the midst of this turmoil? What, if anything, have we learned? Bankrate's reporters talked to experts to get their thoughts about what went wrong and how we should move forward, albeit with the benefit of hindsight.
Create a news alert for "smart spending"
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