Reel Stories, Real Problems

In this week's episode, Rachael and Roxanne watch to 2006 documentary Maxed Out and dive deep into the dark world of predatory lending, exposing the tactics that keep people trapped in cycles of debt. Join us as we break down the film’s most shocking insights, share real-life stories of financial hardship. Whether you're battling debt or just want to understand the system better, this episode is a must-listen.

**Content Warning: In this episode we talk about self harm and people who took their own lives due to predatory lending. If this is something that might be sensitive for you, please skip this episode and join us again next week.**

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron_scandal#:~:text=Mark%2Dto%2Dmarket%20accounting,-Further%20information:%20Mark&text=Enron%20became%20the%20first%20nonfinancial,of%20net%20future%20cash%20flow.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marktomarket.asp

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/how-can-i-pay-off-50k-in-credit-card-debt/#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20Americans%20carried%20$6%2C501,feel%20like%20an%20insurmountable%20task.

https://www.fitchratings.com/research/non-bank-financial-institutions/us-debt-purchasers-fy23-dashboard-08-03-2024

https://meltonnorcross.com/how_big_is_the_debt_collection_industry/

https://blog.marketresearch.com/u.s.-debt-collections-industry-worth-15-billion.-pandemic-did-not-hurt-the-business#:~:text=Pandemic%20Did%20Not%20Hurt%20the%20Business,-by%20John%20LaRosa&text=The%20$15%20billion%20U.S.%20collection,owed%20(phantom%20debt%20collectors).

https://www.acainternational.org/news/market-snapshot-from-the-economic-environment-to-debt-purchasing/

https://pestakeholder.org/reports/jll-partners-ace-cash-express/#:~:text=Endnotes:,%2C%20accessed%20Sept%2015%2C%202017.

https://www.uscourts.gov/data-news/judiciary-news/2024/07/25/bankruptcy-filings-rise-162-percent

https://www.nar.realtor/magazine/real-estate-news/whats-next-for-the-2025-housing-market

In this week's episode Rachael and Roxanne watch the 2020 documentary No Small Matter and talk about early childhood education, the importance of paying teachers a living wage, and why the Muppets would never make it in the military.

Rachael is a writer and personal finance expert who got laid off in 2024. Roxanne is a homeless university professor and part-time retail employee.

Sources:

https://www.childcareaware.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/2016-State-Fact-Sheets-Full-Report_final.pdf

https://www.npr.org/2013/12/29/257922222/closing-the-word-gap-between-rich-and-poor

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/06/01/615188051/lets-stop-talking-about-the-30-million-word-gap

https://cepa.stanford.edu/news/education-gap-grows-between-rich-and-poor-studies-say

https://www.springboardcollaborative.org/our-approach/the-problem/

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/28-states-where-child-care-154414900.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAI4v8S8S27rDncIcVH731GjXmt3RtCzrR7Mm_jVDOTyoury76X2Nu6npkvnnjflp7mC94RtRf_0OQEJdwgD3uyfIVAb7Bt-70A0D9xHvVmN-E2dS5v953kk_TxCeACtIL2Wd0vbjxc7fM7nL-DZSAcwkd55CSb_N4TLBlWixU5CU

In this week's episode, Rachael and Roxanne watch the 2003 documentary Born Rich and talk about wealth inequality, what it's like living outside of the American dream, and under which circumstances Roxanne would punch her undead father in the face.

Sources:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-one-percent_b_87459

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Johnson_(filmmaker)

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7192220/

In this week's episode, Rachael and Roxanne watch the 2022 documentary Get Smart With Money and talk about spending less, earning more, and what they would do if they had Oprah money.

Sources:

https://www.zippia.com/advice/average-salary-increase/

https://www.bankrate.com/loans/student-loans/how-to-calculate-student-loan-interest/#tax-deductible

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1490134/

https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-challenges-with-health-care-costs/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/37-of-americans-cant-afford-an-emergency-expense-over-400-according-to-empower-research-302187157.html#:~:text=In%2DLanguage%20News-,37%25%20of%20Americans%20can't%20afford%20an%20eme

In this week's episode Rachael and Roxanne watch the 2013 documentary American Winter and talk about poverty, job hunting, and why it is important to record your podcast before dinner.

Rachael is a writer and personal finance expert who got laid off in 2024. Roxanne is a homeless university professor and part-time retail employee. 

Sources:
https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2024/unemployment-rate-steady-at-4-1-percent-in-october-2024.htm https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0609/what-the-unemployment-rate-doesnt-tell-us.aspx https://finance.yahoo.com/news/15-countries-highest-social-mobility-141046122.html https://www.census.gov/newsroom/archives/2014-pr/cb14-169.html https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2014/article/unemployment-continued-its-downward-trend-in-2013.htm

Rachael is a writer and personal finance expert who got laid off in 2024. Roxanne is a homeless university professor and part-time retail employee. In this week's episode they watch the 1992 documentary It Was a Wonderful Life and talk about homelessness, poverty, and why going to prison isn't a good idea.

Sources:
https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/Fact_Sheet_Summarized_Findings.pdf
https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness/
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-11-mn-31514-story.html
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5992251/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-venn-diagram-life/202203/5-reasons-people-stay-in-unhappy-marriages
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/better-divorce/202208/the-real-long-term-physical-and-mental-health-effects-divorce