Smart Is the New Rich: If You Can't Afford It, Put It Down

Across every income level, the Great Recession has changed how we spend our money. Almost three quarters of Americans are making significant spending cuts, even if they dont have to, and most say they are so scarred by two years of economic upheaval, they wont go back to their old bubble ways. Consumers by choice or by necessity are re-learning the retro rules abandoned during the consumer bubble and, for the first time in a generation, we're asking these questions -- 'Do I need this?' 'Will it make my family better, smarter, more prepared?' 'Can I even afford it?'--  and we'll all be better for it. Author and CNN correspondent Christine Romans believes we should live by three qualifiers: living within our means, living with less debt, and being less vulnerable. Its hard to argue with that. Some will say it is old-fashioned, even unproductive, since the capitalist engine needs our consumer dollars to run. Yet, Romans cant say it enough we all went too far, bought too much house, too many cars, too much stuff. Smart is the New Rich explores the emergence of the retro consumer and how to build savings and wealth in the new normal.