Summary CNBC Marathon explores why American workers’ budgets feel so stretched. The middle class was once a symbol of the American dream. It meant financial security and an opportunity for a better future. But that portrait of the American middle class is quite different today. A survey in 2018 found that a third of middle-income adults don’t have as much as $400 to cover an unexpected expense. And while the middle-class lifestyle grows more expensive and uncertain, it’s also moving beyond the reach of younger generations. Maybe the cause is related to American workers’ income? When adjusted for inflation, wages have remained virtually unchanged over the last 50 years, with workers today earning just 12 cents more than they did in 1972. And with inflation at its highest since 1971, Americans are feeling the pain of slow wage growth. Two-thirds of American workers said that inflation has...