Americans spend big on Fido and Fluffy

Americans spend more on their Fidos and Fluffies each year than they spend on booze or men's clothing.

People shelled out an average of $502 annually on their pets in 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That compares to the $456 they spent on alcohol and $404 they spent on men and boys' clothes.

Just pet food alone cost the average household $183 -- which is more than folks spend MORE

Suburban poverty soars

Poverty is growing faster in the suburbs than anywhere else in the United States, soaring 64% over the past decade.

That was more than twice the growth rate of the urban poor population, according to the Brookings Institution, which released a book Monday titled Confronting Suburban Poverty in America. There are now almost 16.4 million suburban residents living below the poverty line, nearly 3 million more than in the cities.

The MORE

Where student loans are most delinquent

Nearly 12% of student loans are at least 90 days delinquent, according to new federal data. But borrowers in some states are having more trouble paying their loans than their peers elsewhere.

West Virginia has the highest share of delinquent loan balances, at 17.8%, while South Dakota has the lowest, at 6.6%, according to the latest quarterly data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

Related: Class of 2013 grads average $35,200 MORE

Retiring at 55? You'll need $372,000 just for medical expenses

Thinking of retiring early? Hope you have a lot socked away for medical expenses.

That's because health care costs can add up quickly when you aren't yet eligible for Medicare, which kicks in at age 65.

Someone who retires today at age 55 will spend an average of $119,600 over the next 10 years on insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, said Dale Yamamoto, who authored a report on medical spending on behalf MORE

Payroll tax hike prompts spending cuts

Most Americans plan to cut spending to make up for income lost from the payroll tax hike, according to a New York Federal Reserve study released Wednesday.

The payroll tax cut, which was in effect in 2011 and 2012, reduced the amount withheld from workers' paychecks to 4.2%, down from 6.2%. That put an additional $1,000 a year in the pocket of the average household earning $50,000 a year. The provision MORE

CNNMoney reader visits the White House for Obamacare event

When Suzanne Eva Lain praised Obamacare in a recent CNNMoney article, she never thought it would earn her a ticket to the White House.

But after a member of the Obama administration read that she can't wait for Obamacare to start, officials invited her to attend an event at the White House on Friday at which the president expounded on how the Affordable Care Act has helped women and their families. MORE

The rich are getting richer, while the rest lose ground

The net worth of American households grew by $5 trillion in the first two years of the economic recovery, but not everyone shared in the riches.

The top 7% of American families saw their wealth grow to $25.4 trillion in 2011, up from $19.8 trillion two years earlier. The remaining 93% of Americans experienced a decline in net worth to $14.8 trillion, down from $15.4 trillion, according to a new analysis MORE

Where CEOs get paid the least

Sure, it's nice to rise to occupy a company's corner office ... but how lucrative it is depends on what state you're in.

There's a very wide variation in average CEO pay. Chief executives in some places make $100,000 more, on average, than their peers in other states, according to new federal statistics.

Overall, CEOs earn an average of $176,840 a year, which translates into $85.02 an hour. That seems pretty sweet MORE

Where Americans stash their wealth

Americans have gotten poorer over the past decade.

The median net worth of American households came in at $68,828 in 2011, down from $81,821 in 2000 (in inflation-adjusted dollars) and far below the peak of $108,585 in 2005, according to recently released Census Bureau stats.

The composition of that wealth has changed over time. Back when Ronald Reagan was president, home equity made up nearly half of young adults' net worth, while interest-earning accounts, MORE

Viral video shows how wealth is really distributed

Think you know how wealth is distributed in America? Think again.

A YouTube video that's gone viral recently shows that our perceptions of who has money and how much they have is quite skewed. The poor and middle class have a lot less than most people think, while the rich have a lot more. And the Top 1% are off the charts.

The video, which has been viewed more than 3.8 million MORE