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Image of a hand lowering a voter registration sheet into an orange box with stacks of voter registration papers on both sides

Threats to Ballot Access: New Report Examines Risks of Wrongful Voter Removals Across the Country

Dēmos examines ballot access issues, voter suppression in AZ, GA, OH, CA, IN, WI, MI, NC, TX, LA 

Press release/statement
August 10, 2023

We are changing the conversation around our democracy and economy by telling influential new stories about our country and its people. Get our latest blog and media updates here. For more in-depth explorations and analyses, visit our Resources page.

Featured
Ground level view of the Wall Street Stock Exchange

Unfinished Business: Revisiting Dodd-Frank and the Path to Economic Progress

On the anniversary of the Dodd-Frank Act, we reflect on recent banking failures and the inequities inherent in our current financial system. 

Blog
Daniella Zessoules
Black mother and daughter looking at the city river

A Supreme Court Power Grab: Attacking Federal Agencies to Advance an Extremist Agenda

Why the Court's decision to limit the EPA's power to regulate water access is yet another case of eroding the power of the other branches of government at the expense of Black and brown people.

Blog
Ashley Tjhung
supreme court

Supreme Court's Rejection of Affirmative Action Widens the Divide: Dēmos Calls for Renewed Efforts to Combat Systemic Racism

“The 14th Amendment is supposed to be a shield against racism, and now it’s being used as a sword.” 

Press release/statement
Taifa Smith Butler

401(k) Fees Could Reduce Nest Egg By 30%

Here's the latest scary retirement statistic. The average American couple could pay nearly $155,000 in fees for their 401(k) plans over their careers, reducing their eventual nest eggs by more than 30%, according to a new report. REPORT: The Retirement Savings Drain: Hidden & Excessive Costs of 401
In the media
Walter Hamilton

Retirement Plan Fees Consume 30% of Assets

Retirement plan fees consume nearly one-third (30.3%) of an investor’s potential assets, a paper contends.
In the media
Rebecca Moore

401(k) Fees May Cut 30% From Retirement Balance

American workers who don’t think twice about their employer-sponsored 401(k) plans may be surprised to learn that fees can cut their retirement savings by 30 percent over a lifetime. A household with two people earning the median income of their age group from 25 to 65 will pay an average of $154
In the media
Susanna Kim

More Americans Rely on Credit Cards for Basics

Americans are increasingly dependent on credit cards just to put food on the table and keep the lights on, a new study shows. Although we’re doing a better job overall paying our bills on time these days, many people are relying on more easily attainable credit just to keep their heads above water.
In the media
Martha White

The Conservative Approach to Environmental Protection Doesn't Work

In a series of posts at The Atlantic, Jonathan Adler has looked at how to advance environmental protection and action on climate change while still adhering to conservative principles like limited government and market-based solutions. Adler’s posts are interesting and thoughtful.
Blog
J. Mijin Cha

More Bad News About 401(k) Fees

Question: How much money are you paying in 401(k) fees? Answer: Have you thought about buying a home lately?
In the media
Helaine Olen

The 401(k) System: Great for Wall Street, Bad for Retirees

Here’s a question that you probably don’t want to answer honestly: What fees are you being charged by your 401(k) plan? Don’t feel bad if you haven’t got a clue, because that puts you in the majority. An AARP study a few years back found that 65 percent of 401(k) account-holders didn’t know they
Blog
David Callahan

Are Fees Eating Away at Your 401(k) Nest Egg?

Your retirement account statement likely does not tell you this, but fees are adding up on your IRA or 401(k) over time – and they can be substantial, as much $155,000 for a median income, two-earner family over a lifetime. That was not a misprint. In many areas, that amount will buy you a nice home
In the media

Couples Spend $155,000 on 401(k) Fees Over Lifetime

Yikes! The advocacy group Demos reports that a two-income couple — earning a median income over their careers — spends an average of $154,794 during their working lives on 401(k) fees. Fees, Demos says, eats up nearly one-third of their investment returns. A higher income couple pays even more in
In the media
Eileen Ambrose

Another Reason to Distrust Wall Street: 401(k) Fees

As wary as the public may be of Wall Street, it is not wary enough because the financial industry rips people off even more than most of us realize -- specifically, in 401(k) fees.
Blog
David Callahan