15
Part 2: Event Summaries | Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
Commenting on the employment landscape in South Dallas, Merrill stressed the need for higher-
opportunity jobs with living wages and benefits. “It’s not good enough to ask if the people I serve have the
ability to ask for higher hourly wages,” she said. “Taking an individual from $8 an hour to $10 an hour is not
going to substantially impact their quality of life.”
She further emphasized that quality employment opportunities should be located within the local
community. “We are not going to shift until changes are made in development, in investment, and our
residents aren’t required to make a one-way, three-hour commute by train and bus to travel 30 miles . . . for a
chance at substantial employment.”
Merrill called for investment in both the land and the people of South Dallas and for empowering residents
to build businesses that would allow and encourage them to spend money in their own neighborhood.
Alongside workforce development programs, she said, there is a need to engage corporations and
investments, creating opportunities, entrepreneurship, and capital to keep the momentum moving forward
Financial Security/Older Adults
Steve Benton, Elder Financial Safety Center, the Senior Source
As a collaborative partnership between the Senior Source and the Dallas County
Probate Courts and District Attorney’s Office, the Elder Financial Safety Center helps
older adults avoid the dangers of financial uncertainty and exploitation.
18
Steve Benton of the Senior Source discussed economic and financial challenges of
older adults in South Dallas, a key service demographic for his organization, and
across the United States, where 78 million baby boomers are coming into retirement.
19
Financial viability and financial vulnerability are gateway issues for their safety and security, he said, affecting
where they can live, what they can afford, and whether they have access to transportation and services. He
cited four key risks: longevity, inflation, health care, and exploitation.
Explaining longevity risk, Benton said, “The biggest fear of the older adult is, surprisingly, not death—it’s
running out of money.” With people living longer, they face more years in retirement on a fixed income. This
leads to inflation risk, as “their fixed-income buying power shrinks as the cost of everything they need to live
rises over time.”
Further, the inflation rate experienced by seniors is higher than that of the overall economy due to higher
expenditures on health care—13 percent of expenditures by Americans over the age of 65, compared with
5 percent for other age groups. Health-care inflation, Benton noted, historically has risen at double the
general inflation rate. Due to these risks, he said, price stability is “crucial.”
Several factors increase financial vulnerability, Benton said. For seniors in South Dallas, Social Security is
often the only source of income. More generally, many baby boomers are entering retirement still owing
mortgages, and some older seniors turn to reverse mortgages, which consume home equity, when they
need money for basic expenses.
Older adults are also at risk for financial exploitation by scammers, businesses, family members, caregivers,
and friends. Citing the example of an 83-year-old South Dallas man who went to a dealership for an oil
change and was sold a new car with a “subterranean prime” loan, Benton said older adults are “vulnerable
to predatory lending, payday loans, and title loans with extraordinary fees and interest.” It is not uncommon,
18
For additional information, see the Elder Financial Safety Center website (https://theseniorsource.org/elder-financial-safety-center).
19
A video of Benton’s remarks is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N988TWC1_o&feature=youtu.
be&t=1812.