I feel like its never going to get better. This is a special edition of real money. A year ago, i committed to an indepth exploration of the conditions and challenges facing americas middle class. We called it rebuilding the dream, because we can all readily admit that for traditional america, the traditional notion of the American Dream shattered. We introduce you to people like yourselves, people with real world pressures in their daily lives. For purposes of our year long conversation, we identified americas middle class with incomes ranging from 100 120,000 a year, but more than money, its about aspiration. Being involved in the middle class meaning secure if your job, owning a home, access to good healthcast and education. Time off for vacations and the ability to live comfortably. Youll need something for tonight, even the basics are hard to achieve. Vacations would be a luxury. Unemployment has dropped but wages are still an issue for american workers. The median met worth for americas middle class families took a 17 hit between 2010 and 2013. Most americans agree that the middle class is in crisis, squeezed by the housing, the debt load and lower wages. But that may change in 2017, with more jobs added and wages going up again. But theres a lot of ground to make up. We introduced you to people struggling to make up for that lost ground. People like the sabino family in new york, and the Bowman Family in tennessee. With one home, two kids and several pets, bill and diane sabino seem to have it all. Yeah. I heard that song before. Its going to get better, relax. Right. But what they also have are severe money problems that are seriously marriage. Couples will get divorced quicker over finances than if someone strayed and had an affair. Im very worried. You dont know whats going to happen next. I just things. Struggling this bad. The defined income of over 100,000 a year, cara and Stephanie Williams are in serious debt. They want to move from the chicago suburbs to a more affordable area, but like 9 million other homeowners their house is underwater. We had to pull the whole retirement fund. The entire thing. I cried and cried and cried. Its mine. Jody boleyn is the single mother of a teenage son. Were not restocking the store, im going to close it on the 24th. Shes a struggling Small Business owner. In a bold move to stay afloat, shes moving her store to a new location. Im on a mission that i have to keep this business going. Getting the new store up and running, the details are just overwhelming. The stakes are so high that i think honestly, ive been afraid to realize how high they are. Well, we have also spoken to americas foremost experts when follow the problems that middle class americans face. The access of these is important to us all. Because the most important part of a robust economy is its middle class. Strong consumer demand and desperately needed tax revenue. Without a strong middle class, americas middle class economy falters. Ed wolf, the author of the study, middle class meltdown Robert Shiller, nobel prizewinning economist from yale. And gentlemen, thank you for being with us, and let me start with you, ed. If you dropped down on earth and looked at it the last year you would see improvements in the home prices and the stock market and wages and more jobing created. Why do these things not translate on an oneonone level for americans that were focusing on . You have to go back in time. There has been a huge decline in household wealth, particularly for the middle class. In fact from 2007 to 2010, it plunged by 4 . It put middle class families back to where they were in 1969. Incredible. So i think you know, wealth net worth, savings, thats a former security for the middle class, and i think the angst of the middle class is really closely tied to what has happened to their Balance Sheet. The struggle can be seen in the fact that theyre still dissaving, not saving but dissaving, and their net worth continues to fall. And thats why they have this pessimism about the future despite the recovery in the job market. And despite the last months rise in wages. Its in their Balance Sheet. And thats their form of economic security. Hurting. Robert shiller, youre so associated with the case shiller report every month, and youre on tv talking about home prices, and its so interesting, you often say to me and others that middle class americans need to top looking at houses as a Balance Sheet item as much as they do. And one of the things in eds research is that wealthier americans, for wealthier americans, the home is a smaller part of the Balance Sheet than it is for middle class americans, and they get hit more as well as gain more from housing ups and downs. I think theres a common view among middle class americans that housing is the best investment. And a lot of people think that. It is, in a sense, because its the investment that they most often have, and any investment is important. You have to plan for your future. But it hasnt historically performed as well. But right now, people are fairly optimistic. I just and a survey with case and thompson. The average american in the four cities we studied expects a 5 and a half percent growth in home prices for the next ten years, and thats pretty good. I dont think that it will be that high. Theyre a bit too optimistic about homes, and they should be investments. Theres always a debate robert about whether or not Home Ownership should remain part of what we pedal as the American Dream, should we . Thats the interesting question. The argument for subsidizing Home Ownership is that homeowners appear to be better citizens. They know the mayor, and they can tell you about issues and their community. I think that being a homeowner does that. So it sounds like a good thing. But i dont know how much this is an issue now. Dave camp had a proposal last february to limit the Home Mortgage to half a million dollars. And that might be part of a trend to stop subsidizing homes so much. Maybe we are subsidizing it too much. And maybe people are a little bit too home conscience. Interesting, ed. In other countries like america, with similar gdps we subsidize saving more than we subsidize Home Ownership. And you used the word dissaving, americans are dissaving and what do you mean by that. Well, theyre literally depleting their assets. Maybe not so much their home but certainly strong evidence that their pension accounts have gone down considerably. But their Stock Ownership rates have gone down. And Small Business ownership rates have gone down. So there has been a pretty substantial decline. And what assets the middle class owns. Were going to hear those stories from the families that we have been following. Thank you to both of you Robert Shiller and ed wolf, middle class wealth. When we return, well meet the sabinos who documented their anxiety as they struggled to rebuild their American Dream. He had an anxiety attack, and he was stressed out about money. I tried to fly home, and i got maybe three or four miles, and i got to pull over, im not going to make it. Youre watching a special edition of americas middle class, rebuilding the dream. Hundreds of days in detention. Al jazeera rejects all the charges and demands immediate release. Thousands calling for their freedom. Its a clear violation of their human rights. We have strongly urged the government to release those journalists. Journalism is not a crime. I found out i lost total trust, because he didnt come forward to me and tell me exactly what was going on. I was afraid to tell her. Because she was going to get she gets very nervous, and she was going to be really upset. Welcome back to a special edition of real money. Americas middle class rebuilding the dream. Since we have been following these families a year ago, the American Economy has been showing signs of strength. In november, the u. S. Added 3 it 21,000 jobs, and thats the most in three years. The stock market is up, and the Housing Market continues to gain ground after the bubble bursted. It all adds up to an economy that is expected to grow 3 this year, and middle class families are still struggling. The sabinos you just met. A couple living on long island new york, who make 95,000 a year, and as a school bus [ audio difficulties ] earnings barely cover their expenses, and to make it worse their property taxes have more than doubled to 12,000 a year 1998. All of that i found out that i lost total trust because he didnt come forward to me and tell me exactly what was going on. I feel betrayed. And i feel like he didnt put me in partnership. So theres like a block now. I was getting scared and stressed and i was afraid to tell her. She gets very nervous, and she was going to be really upset. So i put it on my shoulder which is kind of stupid. And it was a stupid mistake of mine. The tree broke our shed, and our pool liner. Unbelievable. Thank god it didnt kill somebody. The tree removal guy wanted 1,000. And im going to try to do it myself. We have the mortgage im worried when, and the other bills, and i work midnight shift. And im tired as it is, and stress on my mind. So i got into my car, and as soon as i got into my car, i felt very dizzy. And everything was spinning and i tried to drive home. And i got maybe, i dont know three or four miles and i said i got to pull over, im not going to make it. And i pulled into Dunkin Donuts and i couldnt get out of the car, and i thought i was having a heart attack. I went into the bathroom and threw water on my face and i called an ambulance and went to the hospital. Youre never going to get yourself out of this hole unless you include her in those decisions. What keeps you from doing that . Its a matter of making a phonecall. Your procrastination, you have to get that fixed. So when are we going to do it . Tomorrow. Why not today . She has a point, why not today . I was walking into the kitchen and i left, because theres always a threat that theyre going to have the Catering Service come in. Im on my way to the dmv. I have to take my general knowledge test. Not easy. I failed it twice. Im going back. Here goes nothing. Nothing. I have room to build. In 90 days, i get a little raise and a bonus, and then in six months, another raise, and then a year another raise, and once im a driver, forget it the money is great. I got up to number 43, and i failed. And so i try again. I got my permit, yeah im so excited. Took me long enough. Look look see . Theres my permit. And im very excited. Were Getting Better at staying afloat. And its coming together little by little. Phil and diane sabino join me now, along with jeff, a psychologist who joined me right at the beginning of our series, and phil and diane congratulations on your anniversary of 25 years. You guys are so brave, and i cant but the get emotional watching your struggles and your story. Youre real fighters, and youre also real fighters sometimes, and i wouldnt, diane, would you guys have less tension if not for the money . In other words absent the constant 25year struggle that has gotten worse for you lately, are things okay . Yeah, everything is fine. Kids, and just normal stuff. Thank god nothing major, but if we didnt have the money issue i would be able to enjoy my life a little better. Yeah, and you guys really tried different things. Work, and congratulations for getting your permit. And you really have planned it out. This house, and the mortgage and the taxes are an albatross for you. In a weird way, you both have transferable skilled. You could be a bus driver somewhere else and you could be a ups driver somewhere else, so why not atlanta or somewhere else other than long island . Believe it or not, a lot of people are doing is that. A lot of friends and family and people we know, when you have family, its hard to pick up and leave, and we have family and its very hard to pick up and leave. Not right now. Maybe one day that would be a beneficial thing to do, but for now, its hard to make that move. Your last year has been a struggle. When we watched it with you, its almost unbelievable to see, i cant believe this just happened to them. Is this unusual, or are they all like this . I think we were tested to see if we could make our 25th wedding anniversary. No kidding. I thought to myself, jeff, i said if theyre going through every year like this, this is impossible. Is this common . Yes, it is common. Because we know, as youve said, the middle class are going through this, and we know that money is a major stressor in any relationship. And when you already have some issues happening, as we see in most marriages, it makes it worse. But the whole idea that we start at the beginning, and finally, this is so symbolic. Youre driving the bus, instead of being run over by it. The moral of the story is, you have to hang in there together and you have to be partners, not just romantically, but as Financial Partners to make it work, and you will see the light of day, and youre not the only ones doing this. And thats why youre role models to many who are watching this, because theyre feeling their pain right now. Speaking of pain, when we were watching this story, and he was talking about his panic attack, and i see you nodding that youve seen it before. Its something thats an anxiety disorder. And when youre not sharing enough, you start to internalize it, and its not uncommon to have these panic attacks that you think youre going to die. But now you can talk about this, and both of you can shoulder that burden, and you will see many less things. I thought you were being chivalrous and trying to protect her, and turns out to be the same. But it wasnt the right thing to do. Youve grown a lot in the last year, the two of you, youve had to confront things, with people like jeff poking into your lives and telling you what to do. And you didnt tell anybody to get lost and didnt shut off the camera, and despite a very trying year financially, do you feel youve gotten better tools to move ahead . Yes. We have learned it how to deal with what was going on. I understand why he didnt let me know. If he ever does it again, it wont be it. It will be a bit of a problem, but i understand. And in an odd way, this tough year made us closer. I saw both of those things happen. Splitting apart and growing closer, and like you said, you are role models, and you are the example of what so many are going through, and this is the bottom. And i think its going to get better for both of you. Thank you, and thank you, jeff for being with us. Coming up next, we meet the williams, cara and stephanie living on more than 100,000 a year, but its not enough. A lot of people are telling me to go into foreclosure, and its hard for me to do that. To be good. And were so not good. Youre watching a special edition of real money, americas middle class rebuilding the dream. My brain is trying to process, the mortgage is due and the gas bill, and were at the cut off point. Were making the best we can, but its very hard. And very frustrating. Welcome back to a special edition of Middle America e. The middle class, rebuilding the dream. When we first met them, their combined family of six is living in a suburb south of chicago. Together they makeover 100,000 a year, but its not enough. Have a look at their story. Go eat, baby, hurry up, go eat. Six people sharing one bathroom makes it especially challenging for the Williams Family to get out for the day. Bathroom. When stephanie bought the threebedroom ranch in 2007, there was ample room for her and her son, but since new wife, cara, and her three kids moved in last year, things have been tight. Like 4 million homeowners, the williams were trapped in a house that was underwater. The house is upside down. The house depreciated over 40,000. Its worth 60,000, and originally, i bought it for 109,000. There are a lot of regrets everything that goes with it. The williams couldnt afford to buy a home close to the city. But their twoour round trip commute, including tolls and gas and parking set them back about 1,000 a month. Have a good day. Stephanie is a math specialist with a masters degree, and cara is an it specialist. Together, they make more than 100,000 a year, enough to put them solidly in the middle class. But thats not how they feel. I consider myself lower class because of the struggles we go to. Bills that include 1,100 in food and 1029 in clothing costs. Home repairs for a leaky roof faulty electrical outlet and broken oven were on the backburner. Our lights have been off and our gas has been off. My Insurance Company called me the other day and said i needed to paint the siding on my house, and if i didnt do it by june, they were going to drop us from the assurance. Right now, we have a quote for 4,500 to fix our attic, which raccoons have gotten into and turn out the insulation. The minute we get out of one bind, we hit another. The union of Cara Kim Bell and Stephanie Nicole williams in a legal marriage. We had some shortcomings up to the wedding. We had an issue with our plumbing, where we had to purchase another main, 2,500. I didnt think about it because i had this going on. I dont think we broke the bank with our wedding. The total budget on our wedding was 5,000. And we were not able to provide drinks for the wedding, as far as alcoholic beverages because it was too many for us to handle. With the plastic plates and the silverware, we only paid 200 for it. I cant wait to spend my life with stephanie. This just solidifies it. Were married i was ready to flip a burger. Thats how worried i was. And i just knew that i had to go out and find another job. The day that the job ended was the day that i interviewed for the job that i have now. At the tribune, so the particular role that im in, which has helped us, contract for hire. My mom, the day after the wedding, was diagnosed with colon cancer, and im trying to decide if im going to go, the fact if my mom didnt make it out of her surgery. I already see the difference in my paycheck. What i bring home. Still the situation, taking care of the house. I just fell in love with the home. I dont know if its a dream home. It cutting out a lot of bills. I can go right to my job. Turn on the gas. I was in total disbelief and shock at that moment, because here i am thinking that i found my perfect home. And the next thing, its a gut punch. I dont want to uproot them again. Thats the devastating part to me. I dont want to be pessimistic. Cara Kim Bell Williams and Stephanie Williams join me now along with lee gallagher, the author of the end of the suburbs. And first of all cara, hows your mother doing . My mom is actually not doing well. She just had a biopsy of her lung yesterday. And i was at the hospital with her yesterday but were remaining hopeful that the mass is benign. You guys have had the definition of ups and downs in the last year, and congratulations on your marriage. When we met you, you were not legally married. And now your marriage is recognized and thats fantastic, congratulations. But i also said that you earn 100,000 together. And thats no longer true. Thats correct. I lost my job a week ago friday. Basically, i was hired as a permanent contractor and i was told that it was a permanent role, and youre in this role. And nothing will change, and on that friday of last week, i was told, well due to budget, the hired basically. It has been a rough week for you. It has been. It has been. You guys had this great news after you got married that you were able to move into the city, but you still have this house. This underwaterhouse, the plague of so many million americans, and its not going to make it to 90,000 any time soon, so what are you doing with the house. We are trying to do a short sale. We had somebody lined and up it fell through, so were hoping to see what happens in january with a prospect, but if not, im going to have to let it go and go into foreclosure. You cant have this thing around your neck. Exactly, and the condition of the job, to work for the Chicago Public schools, you have to live in chicago. Lee gallagher, you wrote a book about how people are struggling with Home Ownership driving 30 miles to your job in the city is not practical. And you think that many people will make the move that they made. I do. It was very forward thinking. You were spending 1,000 a month and two hours a day getting to and from your jobs, and thats two hours that youre not spending with your children, and thats money, if im right, about the same as your housing costs each month. And thats not sustainable for a lot of people. We sell people on this American Dream. Drive until you qualify, so you can have the house and the yard. And its not the dream that many people imagine it to be. So you guys are very on trend going back to championship where you have more time in your day, and you have a beautiful home. And youre renting and not Everybody Needs to own, and a growing number of people are realizing that thats actually liberating on many levels. But you have this problem. Whats happening with the house youre renting right now . It was foreclosed on on the 28th. And we havent heard anything from the bank, saying, we own it now and whats your intent . Like i had a choice that we want to buy it. And i was like, theres no way we can buy this. Youre not in any position to buy this. Thats incredible for the viewers to see. Youre the middle class in america, but youre two remarkably brave, resilient women. And i think that well keep following you and this will work out and thank you for your it story, stephanie and cara and for supporting us through this whole effort. Joining us next, jody boleyn and her Business Partner try to make ends meet. Its a longterm struggle of not being able to have basic needs met. Basic needs as in food in the refrigerator, shoes to work in. Gas in my car. Youre watching a special edition of Middle America, middle class rebuilding the dream. Im an optimistic person, and rebuilding my dream. Im hoping and praying that these are the final hard days. Days of business for me. Welcome back to a special edition of real money, americas middle class rebuilding the dream. Our special takes us to knoxville, tennessee, where we have been following jody boleyn for the last year, a struggling single mother, striving for her version of the American Dream, owning a giftshop. She has taken big risks to see her store it succeed. Including moving into a new location this year, and in the process, she struggled for basic comforts, including gas in her car. The reality and the highs and lows for her over the last year. When we first met jody bowlin. Sometimes i question, why is this happening to me . The struggling gift shop owner was in a lastditch attempt to save her business. This year so far has been the worst year ever. Jody bought the store after successfully managing it for three years. But then the recession sit. During the First Six Months the business dropped by 40 and my Business Partner was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and she left the store, and i started letting the girls go onebyone. It was a blow from which the divorced mother of one has still not recovered. Its the long, longterm struggle of not being able to have basic needs met. Basic needs as in food in the refrigerator and gas if my car. I had to be people said throw in the towel and file bankruptcy and get a different job. Instead, the Small Business owner took a highrisk gamble. This past march, she went further into didnt, moving her business into a more affluent location. The rent is lower, but the stakes couldnt be higher. The last eight years of my life of working have been for nothing. Hey, jody. Hey, katrina, how are you . They are arriving daily to get ready for my may 3rd grand opening. It was a slow start in the beginning, and then it startled picking up and then i started feeling a bit more relieved and at times i looked around and the store was kind of full, and the music was going. I feel like it was really a good start. The sales are still not where they need to be, and theyre still about half of what the store was doing at the previous location. Im not able to pay my mortgage, and there are real stressors on me right now. Im doing everything i can to stay afloat, i decided to do a drive over to the old store and hang up signs. Ive been working hard on the store facebook page. Im also have a book signing here at the store, and im hoping that that will bring traffic. Praying that things will improve sooner than later. Somebody tried to steal the car, and they stole the radio and the cd player, they jacked up the ignition and locked the steering, so we just had it towed. So im out 500. We have been open for three months and its not going well. I have had a lot of dizziness and other things neurologicalically going on with me. As the tester s are coming back, theyre all showing negative. And im realizing that everything that has gone wrong with me could all be stress related. I can feel the financial burden of the store, just all through my body. It is such a metaphor, and i really feel like good things are beginning to happen here at the store. I was invited to a ladys luncheon and its a group of professional women entrepreneurs, and i was interviewed for a shopper, and i have repeat new customers, and im happy to say that the new candle line that i purchased is doing very well. Is . Ive had some unexpected expenses come up with julian. Emergency brake is not working. The expenses keep coming as hes getting older, precollege stuff. And we just really really need the store to start providing for us. Sales for the month of october were the best ive had since ive been in the store. So im staying optimistic. We had an awesome day for the Christmas Open house. So im smiling, and im tickled. We did almost 2,100 in one day. I just pray that the store turns around and i get that momentum going that i need to just get me over the hump in the move. Jody bowlin joins us now, and how does it feel to watch your last year . Very emotional. You lived it. And you cant make this stuff up. The car breakin, and the other car problems and your health issues. Yeah. At some point, and i wondered through the course of the year, as we brought the updates to you, what keeps you from throwing in the towel . I have 50 local artists in my store, and when they sell something, i know it puts food on the table for them, and i have customers come into my store, and i hear, i love this place, it makes me feel good. So what keeps me going is the vendors and the customers, and the store has become a ministry. Youve had times when you have not been able to pay the mortgage. Im still there. Its hard. Im working seven days a week, and business is Getting Better but the struggle is still the same. You made a strategic decision to move your store. I did. Are you far enough away from that to know if its the right thing to do . Your options were not moving or shutting down completely. For the First Six Months business was cut in half. And now im at 65 of recovery from the old store. My rent is a third, and im feeling like maybe another six months, another year, if i can get back to 100 of what the old store was doing, with my rent cut by a third, im set. And i can look at it and go, wow, nine years. And you have one very big motivation to making this work and you brought him along with you. Yes, the reach i bought the store in the first place was to provide a College Education for julian, and i have that timeframe, and at 100 recovery, ill have the money to put him through college. Well continue to follow your story with great interest. I want to talk to you about someones success, possible in america, or probable like the story of jody. Jason wolf grew up in an orphanage, and he made it through college with lots of loans, and he landed a job with no health insurance. He taught himself to write computer code. And today hes the ceo of gift cards. Com, sales of 150 million. And Fortune Magazine called him pittsburghs comeback killed. He joins us now, and for the sole reason that i want to show our viewers and jody that it can change. It can get better. As hopeless as it seams, when jody decides not to throw in the towel, theres some chance that she could meet with the success that you and others have met. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. I can remember when i was struck by a car, and having medical issues, and right at the last moment, things turned around. You have to put in the time and the effort and the struggle a lot of times, and it doesnt happen. I know that jody has been working for a long time. I had it as well as i was, and i had a break, and i hope that well. One of the things that i wonder about, jody, and with other business people, how at these low times, you can be creative. You thought up this idea at one of your lowest times. Yeah, so well. The first coupon site is a venture that i started when i was graduated from college. I was in some accidents and suffered spinal surges, and i started to build this business up. The internet was starting out. I built the couple on a site and sold it in 2000, and it raised Venture Capital and it sold really easy. I sold in 2000, and a few months later the dot com bubble burst, and we found ourselves scaling back to the point where i was letting a lot of people go. I had very little money left. I had to find ways to keep going, i had the software left and i created a new Technology Direct track. We were los to going out of business as well. What a pleasure to talk to you, jason, and to hear your success story. Jason wolf, the founder of gift cards. Com, and pretty soon ill be interviewing you in jasons spot. And you can tell us, remember the days it was a struggle with healthcare problems and cash perseverance. When we return, the first time that families meet together for advice on rebuilding the dream. Pain killer addiction on the rise i loved the feeling of not being in pain deadly consequences the person i married was gone are we prescribing an epidemic . The last thing Drug Companies wanted anybody to think was that, this was a prescribing problem fault lines Al Jazeera Americas hard hitting. Today they will be arrested. Ground breaking. Theyre firing canisters of gas at us. Award winning investigative documentary series. Opioid wars only on Al Jazeera America welcome back, we have been giving you stories of middle class families with one tinge in common. Living paycheck to paycheck, and this is the first time that theyre all meeting together. To help us from washington d. C. , ryan mac, a good friend of the hoe, and with us when we launched this coverage. Welcome back to you, and you familiarrized yourself with the stories, and theres a similarity of the stories in jody and the sabinos, and that is that they make little advances and face financial setbacks, none of them have the challenges. One of the strategies is making more money, but thats a defensive strategy, and were doing all that we can to try to squeeze water out of a rock. When i was growing up in subsidized living, my mother had to shop in Thrift Stores and she budgeted and made sure that she could do everything that she could to squeeze water out of a rock, and she was diligent and if we are hopeful and prayerful and faithful, we can get things done. These are folks squeezing water out of a rock, and is there anything else that you can do . Jody, you had Unexpected Health expenses. I have basically medicaid. And youve been cutting expenses back, and is there anything else to cut off the list meet. Basically, i dont spend money. I dont have money to spend. And ive gotten used to not ever having any money, so i dont spend money. You wanted to have a bigger bash for your 25th wedding anniversary and have a vacation, have you been able to do that yet . We will, maybe 30, 35, but we will. Kara and stephanie, you cut out a major expense out of your life by moving into the city of chicago. A large portion of that 1,000 a month transportation bill. You still have some . Its not to the extent of the tolls and the parking, because all of that was a major expense for us. Right now, only if i catch the bus, and thats 2. 25 one way and thats like going from 20, 30 a day to 4. 50. It feels good. Brian, you talk about financial literacy, and how do they get to talk about the economy, where the stock market does well, and housing prices do well, where unemployment is going down. Because as you heard from the stories, they are not feeling the trend as we reported it. Every family on the stage is extremely proud of what they have been able to do. Look at the Business Owner joni. Shes still making t i remember the days of not being able to eat because you wanted to keep your dream alive. But you did things that you were able to do. The open house at christmastime. You said im going to sacrifice, and look at the williams sisters. One day you were laid off. And the same day, you went back to find another job, and that became your job. Look at phil and diane. One thing that youve been able to do. One thing that i would like to give to you two. Panic doesnt pay the bills, but neither does procrastination. You you have each other. The 25 years that youve been able to make it, and what phil was saying, its going to work out. Thats the type of a mindset that we have to have, not just saying that you dont have to do the work that needs to be done, and meeting twice a month to make sure that youre getting your goals on the line. When you do that, what diane f. When you went back and got that additional certification sometimes we have to get an additional certification to create additional Revenue Streams to make sure that we sustain our bottom line. She failed the test but she kept going, and phil supported her through the process. This is what the real American Dream is about. Aside from pie in the sky, and ill make 1 million tomorrow. All three of you should be very proud of what youve been able to do. Congratulations on your marriage, of the williams sisters there, i loved it. And i was touched. Congratulations on your 25 years, and congratulations on you, jody, for doing what you did. As a Business Owner, those tears that you cried, i shared those tears, but you kept going, and you found creative ways to drive people into your store every day. And thats financial literacy. Brian, thank you. Thank you for your support of this program. You were with us on day one to help these families come together. And hes absolutely right. Congratulations to you all, we have been watching the struggles with you, and you should be proud of it. Doesnt mean that the struggles will go away, but coming up, what surprised me personally over the years, the plight of the middle class. Real money, americas middle class, rebuilding the dream. [[vo]] and its become big business. The state of colorado is profiting immensely off of this. [[vo]] now, we cut through the smoke and find out whats really going on. We can show marijuana is leaving colorado. [[vo]] the highs and lows of a year on pot. One year ago, we set out to highlight the challenges americas middle class is facing. The goal was to find solutions that could help the middle class thrive, and to underscore to you the importance of a strong middle class, regardless of whether youre actually suffering. What ive learned in the past year, the struggles that the families face are real for them, and theyre a major problem for the rest of us. These families work incredibly hard to provide for themselves and to secure their childrens futures. Theyre doing everything right. These should be people who are making it, and what i found, all three families struggle to make things work. Theyre still just one unforeseen event. One emergency away from disaster, and the security they experience is felt by millions of americans in todays middle class. Doing the right thing is not enough anymore. Making mistakes, something that they have all done can be catastrophic. Theres no room for error for americas middle class. The stars have to be aligned for the American Dream to come true. Why does this matter to everyone else . Because spending by middle class families fuels the American Economy, and fuels jobs and productions desperately needed tax revenue and that should lift all. Now that americas economy is finally appearing on the rebound, theres a feeling among american thats its lifting yachts. Without a strong middle class, americas economy falters, and together we all pay the price. In order for all americans to prosper. The sabinos and the williams and the bowlinss, we need to prosper too. Thats our show for today. Good evening everyone, this is Al Jazeera America. Im paul beban in new york. John siegenthaler is off. Final chance. Americas longest war comes to a close. The hope and the ongoing voyages as nato formally ends its 13 year combat mission in afghanistan. Airasias crash parts of the plane have been spotted but rough weather is thwarting rescue efforts