There are two things you should take care of before opening a Roth IRA: 1  Tuck away at least $1,000 in a savings account for emergencies. 2  Pay off your credit card debt. At the very least, make a significant dent in your debt and have a plan for its elimination.
David O. Whitten, Auburn University. The Depression of 1893 was one of the worst in American history with the unemployment rate exceeding ten percent for half a decade.
It is estimated that one-fourth of the labor force was unemployed during the worst part of the depression. With many families suffering financial difficulties, the government stepped in to solve the problem and that is where the history of welfare as we know it really began.