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Focus Magazine

Focus Magazine

January/Febuary 2008 (Vol. 36/1)

Black Youth Losing Interest in Military Service

by Edwin Dorn

Black enlistments in the military have declined to their lowest level in more than three decades. The downturn is a major problem for the Pentagon, which is trying to increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps. Absent a recession, which would reduce civilian employment opportunities for enlistment-age youth, the only way to enlarge the all-volunteer force (AVF) is to increase the rewards of service – that is, to raise pay, benefits and bonuses. Such a course would increase the Pentagon’s budget, which has nearly tripled during the past seven years to more than $600 billion annually.

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Did You Know?

Did you know that more than two-fifths (42 percent) of African Americans surveyed in a October-November 2005 Joint Center survey expect that their own retirement savings and investments will be their major source of income in retirement? However, only 51 percent have any money in savings accounts, certificates of deposit, or money market funds. Furthermore, only 16 percent have money invested in bonds, only 31 percent have investments in stocks or mutual fund shares, and only 24 percent have an IRA or Keogh plan