Paula had her first panic attack six months ago. She was in her office preparing for an important work presentation when, suddenly, she felt an intense wave of fear. Then the room started spinning and she felt like she was going to throw up.
There is about $1.2 trillion dollars of U.S. currency in circulation. The Federal Reserve Banks distribute new currency for the U.S. Treasury Department, which prints it.
A dollar goes a lot further than it used to. Weâre not talking about how much a dollar buys. Weâre talking about how long it lasts. According to a fresh report (pdf) from the US Federal Reserve, the average lifespan of a $1 note was just 18 months back in 1990. By 2012, it had grown to 70 months, or about 289% longer.