This Is How Much The Financial Crisis Cost You (2024)

This Is How Much The Financial Crisis Cost You (1)

The financial crisis cost the typical U.S. family at least one full year's income, according to a new Fed study.

Economists at the Dallas Federal Reserve, in a study published on Tuesday, estimate that the financial crisis, which peaked with the Lehman Brothers collapse five years ago, cost the U.S. economy between $6 trillion and $14 trillion, or between 40 and 90 percent of one year's U.S. gross domestic product. Put another way, that represents a loss of between $50,000 and $120,000 per U.S. household, the Dallas Fed estimates.

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Median household income was about $50,000 in 2009, according to the latest Census Bureau data available, meaning the crisis cost the typical U.S. family one to two years' income.

Of course, some families likely lost quite a bit more than that. More than two years after the crisis ended, about 1.5 million people had been unemployed for more than 99 weeks, or roughly two years, according to a study by the Congressional Research Service study.

Though unemployment has drifted down to 7.3 percent from a peak of 10 percent, that is partly because at least 2.5 million people have left the work force altogether, giving up in despair of finding work and no longer being counted among the unemployed.

Nearly 8 million more are working part-time because they cannot find full-time work. Middle-income jobs lost during the recession have been mostly replaced by low-paying jobs.

And people who lost work after the crisis may have suffered permanent damage to their ability to earn a decent income.

In other words, some people have lost a lot more than two years' income.

This is the Dallas Fed's second stab this year at estimating crisis costs, though somewhat more conservative -- its earlier report pegged costs at more than $14 trillion. It is consistent with other studies showing total crisis costs of ranging from $13 trillion to $17 trillion to $22 trillion.

The Dallas Fed's measure is a long-term one, weighing the economy's real output against its potential in the years since the crisis. The economists note, ominously, that economic output may never get back to its full potential, meaning the total cost could be a lot more than $14 trillion.

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Before You Go

This Is How Much The Financial Crisis Cost You (2)

9 Ways Americans Haven't Recovered

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This Is How Much The Financial Crisis Cost You (2024)

FAQs

This Is How Much The Financial Crisis Cost You? ›

In a recent article, “The financial crisis at 10: will we ever recover?” (Economic Letter, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, August 13, 2018) economists Regis Barnichon, Christian Matthes, and Alexander Ziegenbein argue that the last financial crisis cost every American about $70,000 in lifetime present-value ...

What are the costs of a financial crisis? ›

The LDA approach leads us to conclude that mean worldwide costs of financial crises within periods of 5 years are in the range of 0.52–0.81% of 2005 world GDP. Extreme crises episodes, occurring with a one percent probability, can lead to losses between 2.95% and 4.54% of world GDP.

How much did the average person lose in 2008? ›

A new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco put a dollar amount on what we lost to the 2008 financial crisis. Because the U.S. economy today is "well below" what pre-crisis trends predicted it would be, every American is out $70,000 on average.

Who profited from the 2008 financial crisis? ›

What groups (or individuals) actually profited from the 2008 financial crisis? - Quora. Plenty. Arguably the most famous was Michael Burry who bet hard against sub-prime mortgages when he was running his hedge fund, and made a fortune for his investors.

What was the total cost of the 2008 financial crisis? ›

Better Markets released an extensive Cost of the Crisis Report detailing how the 2008 financial crash and the economic catastrophe it caused will cost the United States more than $20 trillion.

How much money did Americans lose in 2008? ›

America Lost $10.2 Trillion In 2008

But the truth is that these depressed feelings are rooted in reality. Americans don't just feel poorer, they are poorer: U.S. homeowners lost a cumulative $3.3 trillion in home equity during 2008, according to a report from Zillow.

What happens if the banking system collapse? ›

When banks fail, the most common outcome is that another bank takes over the assets and your accounts are simply transferred over. If not, the FDIC will pay you out. Funds beyond the protected amount may still be reimbursed, but the FDIC does not guarantee this.

How much did 401k lose in 2008? ›

Indeed, the nation's 401(k)s and IRAs lost about $2.4 trillion in the final two quarters of 2008, and the average loss that year for workers who had been on the job for 20 years was, according to one estimate, about 25 percent.

How long did it take the stock market to recover from 2008? ›

The bounce-back from the 2008 crash took five and a half years, but an additional half year to regain your purchasing power.

How long did it take for house prices to recover after 2008? ›

Home prices fully recovered by late 2012. If someone bought a house at the very peak of the recession in 2007 and held the property for 5 years, they made money in appreciation after 2012. It took 3.5 years for the recovery to begin after the recession began.

Who got rich during recession? ›

Scott Boilen, Allstar Products, Snuggie creator. Charles Darrow, inventor of the Monopoly board game. Michael Burry and John Paulson, hedge fund managers. Warren Buffett, business magnate and investor.

Is having cash good in a recession? ›

Cash. Cash is an important asset when it comes to a recession. After all, if you do end up in a situation where you need to pull from your assets, it helps to have a dedicated emergency fund to fall back on, especially if you experience a layoff.

Who benefits in a recession? ›

Lower prices — A recession often hits after a long period of sky-high consumer prices. At the onset of a recession, these prices suddenly drop, balancing out previous long inflationary costs. As a result, people on fixed incomes can benefit from new, lower prices, including real estate sales.

Did anyone go to jail for the 2008 financial crisis? ›

Did Anyone Go to Jail for the 2008 Financial Crisis? Kareem Serageldin was the only banker in the United States who was sentenced to jail time for his role in the 2008 financial crisis. He was convicted of hiding losses by mismarking bond prices.

How much did the bank bailout cost in 2008? ›

President George W. Bush signed the bill into law within hours of its congressional enactment, creating the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to purchase failing bank assets.

Who bailed out the banks in 2008? ›

In 2008, the federal government created the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), a $700 billion government bailout designed to keep troubled banks and other companies in operation. Through the TARP, around $245 billion in taxpayer money was used to stabilize more than 700 banks.

What are the consequences of a financial crisis? ›

In a financial crisis, asset prices see a steep decline in value, businesses and consumers are unable to pay their debts, and financial institutions experience liquidity shortages.

What is high cost of financial distress? ›

Distress cost refers to the greater expense that a firm in financial distress incurs beyond the cost of doing business. Distress costs can be tangible, such as having to pay higher interest rates or more money to suppliers upfront.

What are 4 causes of financial crisis? ›

Main Causes of the GFC
  • Excessive risk-taking in a favourable macroeconomic environment. ...
  • Increased borrowing by banks and investors. ...
  • Regulation and policy errors. ...
  • US house prices fell, borrowers missed repayments. ...
  • Stresses in the financial system. ...
  • Spillovers to other countries.

What were the effects of the Great financial crisis? ›

Altogether, between late 2007 and early 2009, American households lost an estimated $16 trillion in net worth; one quarter of households lost at least 75 percent of their net worth, and more than half lost at least 25 percent.

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