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.
Unemployment was a huge problem during the Great Depression. From 1929 to 1933, the unemployment rate in the United States rose from 3.2% to the incredibly high 24.9% -- meaning that one out of every four people were out of work.