In this episode of ‘Proven and Probable,’ we engage with Bob Moriarty, a distinguished commentator on geopolitical and economic affairs. Bob’s extensive experience includes serving as a Marine F-4B pilot during the Vietnam War, where he flew over 820 combat missions and became one of the most highly decorated pilots of the conflict.
We delve into the recent tragic collision between an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter near Washington, D.C., exploring Bob’s insights on the incident, the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigative approach, and media coverage.
The discussion also covers U.S. tariff policies, international responses, and the current state of gold and precious metals, providing a comprehensive analysis of these pressing issues.
Join us for an in-depth conversation that offers clarity and depth on these complex topics.
In 2024, Americans faced several financial challenges that impacted their ability to save and manage their finances effectively. Inflation remained a top concern, leading to increases in the cost of essentials such as housing, groceries, and utilities, and straining household budgets.
Credit card debt also reached record highs. Rising interest rates on credit cards and loans made it harder for consumers to pay down their balances. Additionally, many households depleted the excess savings they accumulated during the pandemic, leaving them with less of a financial cushion.
With all of this in mind, Yahoo Finance partnered with Marist Poll to survey more than 3,000 banked adults in the U.S. (those with at least one checking or savings account) to shed light on the financial struggles and concerns facing households. Here’s what Americans say have been their biggest barriers to saving and how they feel about their finances heading into 2025. (See our full methodology here.)
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Key findings
Only 22% of respondents report being very or completely satisfied with their savings, while 35% are very or completely dissatisfied. Forty percent of women are very or completely dissatisfied with their savings, compared to 28% of men.
Nearly half (48%) of respondents saved less in 2024 compared to the previous year, with only 21% saving more.
Nearly half (47%) of respondents cite the cost of living as their biggest obstacle to saving.
One-third (33%) of respondents couldn’t cover bills for even one month if they lost their income.
44% of respondents believe they will save more in 2025, with optimism highest among Gen Z (63%) and millennials (53%).
60% of respondents say they are more optimistic about their finances for the coming year with Donald Trump as president. This optimism crosses generational lines, with Gen Z (70%) as the most optimistic.
The Yahoo Finance/Marist Poll 2025 national survey on the state of savings
We set out to learn more about how higher costs and competing financial obligations have impacted Americans’ savings. Here’s what we found:
Two-thirds of respondents say the cost of living for the average family in their area is not affordable
In a post-COVID-19 world, the rising cost of living dominated financial news headlines. Many households felt the pinch as inflation reached a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022. Though the inflation rate has since tempered (the Consumer Price Index was up 2.7% year over year in November 2024), the sky-high costs of housing, groceries, and other essentials are here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Overall, our survey found that most respondents describe the cost of living in their area as “not very affordable” (45%), while another 22% say it’s not affordable at all.
On the other hand, Gen Z respondents were more likely to describe the cost of living as “very affordable” (9%) compared to other generations: millennials (8%), Gen X (3%), and baby boomers/silent/greatest generations (2%).
Only one-quarter of Americans say they live comfortably
Not only are survey respondents unhappy with the cost of living in their area, but most are struggling to pay for necessities while putting money away for the future.
Just over a quarter of survey respondents say they live comfortably. Older Americans (baby boomer/silent/greatest generations) were more likely to say they live comfortably (40%).
Meanwhile, 31% of respondents are able to meet their basic expenses with a little money left over for extras, while another 30% are just able to meet their basic expenses. And 12% say they don’t have enough money to cover their basic living expenses.
More women are dissatisfied with how much they’ve saved than men
Everyone’s savings goals are different, based on lifestyle, family size, debt obligations, and more. When it comes to whether Americans are satisfied with how much they’ve saved so far, the results are mixed.
Thirty-five percent of respondents in our survey are dissatisfied with the amount of money they’ve saved. Women (40%) are more likely than men (28%) to say that they are very or completely dissatisfied with their savings — perhaps not surprising given the financial challenges that many women face, including the gender pay gap and a higher burden of caregiving responsibilities.
About half of Americans say they saved less in 2024 compared to 2023
This past year proved to be a difficult one for Americans’ savings. Despite historically high deposit account interest rates, consumers were also faced with inflation, skyrocketing interest rates on debt, record-level education costs, and more.
Nearly half of respondents in our survey report they saved less money in 2024 compared to 2023; only 21% reported saving more money. Nearly a third of respondents said they saved about the same amount.
Overall, women were more likely to say they’ve saved less money in 2024 than they did in 2023 (53% versus 42% of men), especially millennial and Gen X women (57% and 59%, respectively).
Younger generations are more optimistic about their savings potential in the new year
With a new year — and a new administration — we sought to find out how Americans believe their savings habits will change in 2025.
It’s not all doom and gloom, especially for younger savers. Younger Americans are more likely to say they will save more: 63% of Gen Z and 53% of millennials versus 44% of Gen X and 25% of baby boomers/silent/greatest generations.
Most likely to save about the same amount in 2025 are those in the baby boomer/silent/greatest generations (44%). Women, however, are more likely than men to say they will save less this year (27% vs. 20%, respectively).
Cost of living has been the most significant barrier to saving
We wanted to learn more about the various challenges savers are facing that are preventing them from reaching their savings goals.
Nearly half of respondents (47%) pointed to cost of living as their biggest obstacle when it comes to saving money. Other common reasons included unexpected bills or expenses (11%), too many financial obligations (10%), and change of income or employment status (10%).
Older Americans were most likely to report they face no challenges to saving money (19%).
Gen Zers and millennials are most likely to ask family and friends for help in a financial emergency
In times of financial distress, there are several avenues you might take to cover your bills — some of which are better for your bottom line than others.
The largest percentage of respondents (26%) say that their solution would be to tap into their savings. Fifteen percent say they’d cut down on their spending, while 14% would pick up an extra job or more hours at work.
Another 10% of respondents say they would ask a family member or friend for help in a financial emergency, with Gen Zers and millennials the most likely to do so (15% for both).
Gen Xers and baby boomers/silent/greatest generations are more likely to put their expenses on a credit card (10%).
A third of households couldn’t cover one month’s worth of bills if they lost their job or source of income
Most experts recommend saving at least three to six months’ worth of expenses in an emergency fund. However, given the many barriers to saving that Americans face, not everyone is able to meet this guideline.
The average length of time respondents could cover their expenses using money that is readily available in their checking or savings account is seven months.
However, about 1 in 3 respondents say they would not be able to cover their bills and expenses for even one month. Gen Z (38%) and millennials (41%) are more likely than other generations to say they could not pay their bills for one month.
In contrast, Gen X and baby boomers/silent/greatest generations (19% for both) are more likely than younger generations to have enough savings to manage for one year or more.
60% of Americans are more optimistic about their finances in the coming year with Donald Trump as president
For better or worse, with a new administration often comes a new economic agenda. And most Americans are expecting positive changes.
A majority of respondents (60%) are more optimistic about their personal finances with Trump as the next president. This was the consensus across generations, with Gen Z being the most optimistic (70%). Baby boomers/silent/greatest generations were the most pessimistic (46%).
This survey of 3,131 adults was conducted Dec. 3 through Dec. 5, 2024, by the Marist Poll sponsored in partnership with Yahoo Finance. Adults 18 years of age and older residing in the United States were contacted through a multi-mode design: By phone using live interviewers, by text, or online. All potential respondents were screened for age.
Probability-based sampling frames include RDD landline plus listed landline, RDD cell phone sample plus cell phone sample based on billing address to account for inward and outward mobility within a state. These samples were provided by Dynata and used to administer the surveys collected via phone and text to web. A sampling frame based on aggregated non-probability online research panels was randomly selected from Cint’s digital insights platform to administer the surveys collected via web.
Survey questions were available in English or Spanish. All samples were selected to ensure that each region was represented in proportion to its adult population. The samples were then combined and balanced to reflect the 2022 American Community Survey five-year estimates for age, gender, income, race, and region.
Results for all adults (n=3,131) are statistically significant within ±2.1 percentage points. Results for banked households (n=2,828) are statistically significant within ±2.2 percentage points. The design effect for this survey is 1.4 which has been incorporated in the calculation of all reported margins of error. The partisan breakdown for this survey among registered voters is 38% Democrat, 36% Republican, and 25% Independent.
As of December 18th, 2024 the DSI for gold is 48, for silver 21. The highest value for gold based on the DSI showed 89 back in May of this year. On the same day silver reached a peak DSI of 90. Those numbers are not good enough to make a major top in either gold or silver. For example, it took a DSI of 96 to mark the top for silver in April of 2011 and a DSI of 95 on January 21, 1980 to mark the all-time high for silver. In my view gold and silver are going to go a lot higher not far off. I expect silver to break its all time high of $50.75 in the next six months or so. Once silver makes a new all-time high I think it will be off to the races.
Tax Loss Silly Season is that six week or so period starting in November and running into just before Christmas when investors clean out the stocks they own that have gone down the most to be able to write off the losses for the current year. It’s the worst time of the year to sell and the best time of the year to buy. Since so many junior lottery tickets have been hammered this year there has been a lot of carnage in the space due to the lack of liquidity and the sheer number of punters willing to take anything on offer for their shares.
But all things change.
The ten-week period from the middle of December each year into the end of February is seasonally the best time of the year for gold and silver. In the past five days, gold has gone down about $130 or over 5%. Now looks to be a good buying opportunity if Trump isn’t whacked between now and a month from now. If he gets whacked, it would be an extraordinary opportunity as the US moves into a civil war.
I’m Maurice Jackson, the founder of Proven and Probable. We specialize in identifying under valued stocks that have a massive potential upside. Today we are highlighting what we believe to be the best silver proposition for your portfolio nestled in the bottom of the Golden Triangle located in British Columbia, which has seen over $5B in M&A since 2018!
We have been buyers of this stock 4 years and counting. Dolly Varden Silver has begin the first in a series of press release announcing the results from their 2024 Drill Program of 25,000 Meters. Find out why Eric Sprott, Rick Rule, Hecla Mining, Fury Gold Mines, Fidelity Investments, Sprott, Sprott USA, Delbrook, and High-Net-Worth investors, with a 7% float! Watch now!
Dolly Varden Silver Corporation is a mineral exploration company focused on advancing its 100% held Kitsault Valley Project located in the Golden Triangle of British Columbia, Canada, 25kms by road to deep tide water.
The 163 sq. km. project hosts the high-grade silver and gold resources of Dolly Varden and Homestake Ridge along with the past producing Dolly Varden and Torbrit silver mines. It is considered to be prospective for hosting further precious metal deposits, being on the same structural and stratigraphic belts that host numerous other, on-trend, high-grade deposits, such as Eskay Creek and Brucejack. The project also contains the Big Bulk property which is prospective for porphyry and skarn style copper and gold mineralization, similar to other such deposits in the region (Red Mountain, KSM, Red Chris).
The Company’s common shares are listed and traded on the TSX.V under the symbol DV and on the OTCQX system under the symbol DOLLF.
WEBSITE: https://provenandprobable.com/ 🥇🥈Get Your Online Gold/ Silver Here 🥇🥈 Call Me Directly at 855.505.1900 or Email: Maurice@MilesFranklin.com
Joining us for a conversation is John Dejoia of Strathmore Plus Uranium, a man with over 50 year experience in the Uranium Sector, and is responsible for almost 10% of all the Uranium ever produced in the United States, sharing his insights on opportunities that are being overlooked by Uranium speculators.
In this interview we sit down with Shawn Khunkhun the CEO of Dolly Varden Silver (TSX.V: DV | OTCQX: DOLLF) to discuss the disconnect with Silver and Silver Equities, the latest news regarding more high-grade Silver results from the Homestake Silver Deposit, and the recent consolidation with addition of the Big Bulk Copper-Gold Porphyry Project.
Must watch interview with a serial wealth builder sharing his valuable insights into the gold exploration stocks and how you may profit. Learn how to appraise gold exploration and mining companies. Joining us for a conversation is Brett Richards of Goldshore Resources, which is on a journey to become Canada’s next Tier 1 Gold Asset. In this interview will cover a number of fundamental aspects about speculation in the gold exploration companies, 5 key criteria that all speculators should know before buy a resource stock. We will cover the cost basis for gold 43-101 Mineral Resource categories for inferred, indicated, measured resources, along with proven, and probable reserves.
After a comprehensive review of the aforementioned we discuss the unique investment proposition for Goldshore Resources, which hosts the 6,000,000 Oz. (Inferred) Moss Lake Gold Project, along with catalyst for 2024.
Timestamp: :17 Gold price and disconnect with gold mining and gold exploration stocks 4:30 Have we reached capitulation 5:25 5 Key Criteria for Natural Resource Speculators 9:28 Gold Grades and Cost Per Oz. for Inferred, Indicated, Measured, Proven and Probable 11:26 Investment Proposition for GoldShore Resources 13:12 Let’s go on-site 19:17 Updated MRE 21:13 Summary: 23:17 Next Unanswered Question 27:14 Capital Structure 28:55 Stock took a hit 30:40 Why you don’t sell because the stock price drops 31:47 What keeps you up at night 33:40 What did I forget to ask
Goldshore is an emerging junior gold development company, and owns the Moss Gold Project located in Ontario. Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. is currently a large shareholder of Goldshore. Supported by an industry-leading management group, board of directors and advisory board, Goldshore is positioned to advance the Moss Gold Project through the next stages of exploration and development.
Mr. Dean H. Taylor deant@diamcor.com 1.250.864.3326
About Diamcor 💎: Diamcor Mining Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian company with a proven history of supplying rough diamonds to the world market. Diamcor has established a long-term strategic alliance with world famous luxury retailer Tiffany & Co. and is now in the final stages of developing the Krone-Endora at Venetia Project co-located with De Beer’s flagship Venetia mine.
