I can’t argue with the OP’s general conclusion that on average Americans are better off financially than they were prior to the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. ... Reminds one of the 6’ fella who drowned in a river that was on average 5 feet deep.
Or the fellow who had one leg in a bucket of ice and the other in a bucket of boiling water. On average he was doing fine.
However, the figures are median, not mean, so most people are better off in terms of wealth than pre-pandemic. Further, inflation-adjusted income in every quintile increased by 5%-6% except in the top quintile, where the lower half saw "just" a 9% increase, while the top half (top decile overall) saw income rise 15%.
All from the Fed survey I cited above.

Perhaps you're missing the first paragraph in the cited piece. That first paragraph has a bullet list of five metrics for financial state, all of which are positive.
One of those is family wealth. Cash on hand is just one relatively small part of household wealth. Between 2019 and the end of 2022, median household wealth increased by 37%, adjusted for inflation. That's according to the cited piece, but why not go directly to the source, from the Federal Reserve?
Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2019 to 2022 (Federal Reserve)
https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/october-2023-changes-in-us-family-finances-from-2019-to-2022.htm

Between 2019 and 2022, real median net worth surged 37 percent, and real mean net worth increased 23 percent.

That was published in October, 2023. Perhaps the Fortune piece author (who was an economist for the World Bank, not the Fed) wrote the piece days before the Fed published its triennial survey.
Really though what matters are the dates the data cover, not when they are published let alone when they are reported in the mass media. The Fortune piece contained data only through June, not through Sept as implied in your last line.
To anticipate the suggestion that maybe household net worth dropped by 27% between the end of 2022 and the middle of 2023, here's another Fed table. It shows that aggregate household net worth (unadjusted for inflation?) increased by 2.98% in Q1 and by an additional 5.49% in Q2 2023.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/20230908/html/recent_developments.htm

Three reactions:
1) The USA Today piece was interesting and I kept thinking "it all depends how and what you're invested in."
2) Reporters can find people to quote in support of any given thesis for an article, be it on Wall Street or Main Street. 5 publications, 5 different views ... no wonder people get confused!
3) When discussing individuals, I posit that the quantitative data from banks/brokerages based on 'retail' folks are a better representation of reality than wonky papers from the Fed or so-called 'economists.'
Major takeaway: IMO it all makes for interesting reading, but financial 'news' is seldom actionable or representative of the broader reality -- and moreso, often fails to reflect that each person's goals, tolerances, positioning, and strategies are different ... but such articles usually cater to the mass market, so they often paint with a broad brush and their sourcing reflects that.

I can’t argue with the OP’s general conclusion that on average Americans are better off financially than they were prior to the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. You can measure that in a lot of ways: home values, employment numbers, wages, etc. Reminds one of the 6’ fella who drowned in a river that was on average 5 feet deep.
One likely reason so many are better off is that the U.S.economy quickly rebounded from the pandemic induced trauma owing in no small part to substantial monetary stimulus by the Federal Reserve and also fiscal stimulus in the form of “stimulus checks” mailed directly to millions of Americans (under both the Trump and Biden administrations). How this comparison (March ‘20 with Today) ) relates to the investment process and what we as a community of investors should concern ourselves with? That’s a different question.
Lost in the discussion is the toll the 2022 stock market crash had on retirement savers. Unlike younger investors who could dollar average in when prices were low, seniors suffered outsized losses (see linked articles) in their retirement accounts. And there is some evidence now to suggest that more Americans are taking early hardship withdrawals from their 401K accounts - which I think @Baseball_Fan mentioned. (see linked articles).
Average American's retirement balance falls 4% as more and more savers dip into their later life savings to make ends meet”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/yourmoney/401k/article-12771113/401k-account-balance-falls-quarter.html
How's your 401k doing after 2022? For retirement-age Americans, not so well
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2023/10/08/401k-balances-havent-recovered-from-2022-for-retirement-age-americans/70998934007/
BofA Report Finds Average 401(k) Balances Up Nearly 10% in 2023; More Participants Taking Hardship Withdrawals
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bofa-report-finds-average-401k-balances-up-nearly-10-in-2023-more-participants-taking-hardship-withdrawals-301895607.html

From Crossing Wallstreet:

“Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.”
“Investing is where you find a few great companies and then sit on your ass.”

Link to other…
Mungerisms

The OP article states:
The majority of Americans are better off financially now than they were before the pandemic. ... Not every American, but the majority. That’s true across demographic and income groups. It’s in the aggregate and individual-level data:
That statement appears to be incorrect.
On this topic, the devil appears to be in the details according to this Fortune article from 09/25/23:
https://fortune.com/2023/09/25/pandemic-savings-richest-americans-federal-reserve-covid/
Excerpt (BOLD added):
Americans outside the wealthiest 20% of the country have run out of extra savings and now have less cash on hand than they did when the pandemic began, according to the latest Federal Reserve study of household finances.
For the bottom 80% of households by income, bank deposits and other liquid assets were lower in June this year than they were in March 2020, after adjustment for inflation.
The OP, 11/26/23 article author was a former Federal Reserve economist, so you'd think she'd have been aware of the referenced "latest Federal Reserve study of household finances" referenced in the Fortune article.
Maybe I'm missing something in the OP article, or something dramatically changed between Sept (Fortune article) and Nov (OP article).

"record amount of charges on credit cards"... yeah, I've been reading that one for over 70 years now...
"food still very expensive."... now that's for damned sure.

Yup. Every week that I shop at Aldi's, another item that I purchase is up in price. This week it's Clancy's Tortilla Chips up from $1.99 to $2.09 and Friendly Farms Light yogurt up $0.15.

“I step out of my bed these days and then sit down in my wheelchair. So I am paying some price for old age. But I prefer it to being dead. And whenever I feel sad about being in a wheelchair, I think well you know, Roosevelt ran the whole damn country for 12 years in a wheelchair. So I’m just trying to make this wheelchair thing last as long as Roosevelt did.”

This news stinks. I learned, from reading what he said and in interviews. We all have to go. There are those who will never be missed. Charlie WILL be missed. Sigh. I'm going to go light my hair on fire now.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/28/business/charles-t-munger-dead.html

Charlie Munger was my favorite curmudgeon investor.
He was Warren Buffett's closest friend and consigliere for many years.
His influence on Berkshire Hathaway was tremendous.
I liked that Mr. Munger always spoke his mind - you knew exactly where he stood.
The Washington Post published a nice story about Mr. Munger earlier today.
RIP Charlie Munger.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/savingandinvesting/charlie-munger-dry-witted-sidekick-to-warren-buffett-dies-at-99/ar-AA1kGpRF

Nah, I don't think so... record amount of charges on credit cards, record amount of folks borrowing from their 401k, layoffs starting to rise...food still very expensive....

Just looked at the list. Such niche products. Reminds me of the PhD. dissertation titles I'd see posted back in my school daze. I held just a couple ETFs very briefly. They were unsatisfying. Like hank, I'm holding 11 positions and don't want to add. I might sell and redeploy one in particular, but don't need a 12th thing. FIVE single stocks, with far from equal weightings, represent 13% of my total.
For income, I'm chewing on whether to sell that one, but not buy a stock to replace it; instead, I have designs upon PRHYX. (Junk.) Re-opened a while ago. In the taxable account, there are no bonds yet. And I could eventually tap into the monthlies, but there's not a real need to do so, anytime soon.

The Week in Charts (11/28/23)
The most important charts and themes in markets, including...
00:00 Intro
00:18 The Volatility Crash ($VIX)
05:30 An Unexpected Combination of Events (Higher Rates/Stocks/Multiples)
07:55 Exponential Growth ($NVDA)
11:29 Holiday Spending Spree? (Consumer)
16:28 Room to Spare (Housing)
19:00 Trying Something New (Argentina Election - Milei)
21:57 Housing Market Standstill Continues (Existing Home Sales)
24:39 "A Very Short Recession" (Conference Board)
27:34 The New King of Shipping (Amazon)
28:47 Lower-Priced New Homes
Video
Blog

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/878719/000139834423021212/fp0086092-2_497.htm
497 1 fp0086092-2_497.htm
THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND
(the “Trust”)
Cambiar International Small Cap Fund
(the “Fund”)
Supplement dated November 28, 2023 to the Fund’s Prospectus (the “Prospectus”), Summary Prospectus (the “Summary Prospectus”) and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), each dated March 1, 2023, as supplemented
This supplement provides new and additional information beyond that contained in the Prospectus, Summary Prospectus and SAI, and should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus, Summary Prospectus and SAI.
The Board of Trustees of the Trust, at the recommendation of Cambiar Investors, LLC (the “Adviser”), the investment adviser of the Fund, has approved a plan of liquidation providing for the liquidation of the Fund’s assets and the distribution of the net proceeds pro rata to the Fund’s shareholders. In connection therewith, the Fund is closed to investments from new and existing shareholders effective immediately. The Fund is expected to cease operations and liquidate on or about December 29, 2023 (the “Liquidation Date”). The Liquidation Date may be changed without notice at the discretion of the Trust’s officers.
Prior to the Liquidation Date, shareholders may redeem (sell) their shares in the manner described in the “Redeeming Fund Shares” section of the Prospectus. For those Fund shareholders that do not redeem (sell) their shares prior to the Liquidation Date, the Fund will distribute to each such shareholder, on or promptly after the Liquidation Date, a liquidating cash distribution equal in value to the shareholder’s interest in the net assets of the Fund as of the Liquidation Date.
In anticipation of the liquidation of the Fund, the Adviser may manage the Fund in a manner intended to facilitate the Fund’s orderly liquidation, such as by holding cash or making investments in other highly liquid assets. As a result, during this time, all or a portion of the Fund may not be invested in a manner consistent with its stated investment strategies, which may prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.
The liquidation distribution amount will include accrued income and capital gains, will be treated as a payment in exchange for shares, and will generally be a taxable event for shareholders investing through taxable accounts. You should consult your personal tax advisor concerning your particular tax situation. Shareholders remaining in the Fund on the Liquidation Date will not be charged any transaction fees in connection with the liquidation by the Fund. However, the net asset value of the Fund on the Liquidation Date will reflect costs of liquidating the Fund. Shareholders will receive liquidation proceeds as soon as practicable after the Liquidation Date.
PLEASE RETAIN THIS SUPPLEMENT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.

the later-in-the-day version:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/28/opinion/economy-voter-sentiment-inflation.html

Health insurance premium Ny Cigna ppo went up 13%. Out of pocket max deductibles were raised slightly.

I confess I haven’t looked at the list. Don’t deal well with complexity. :)
Common sense advice from Henry David Thoreau:
“An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity. I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail.”
Walden (1854)

Hi @BaluBalu. This is the information I was looking for earlier regarding Part D, but covers Parts A and B. The page read is short and contains decent examples. Note: About 15 years ago I knew a retired lady who was a good accountant and managed the tax books for her daughter's small hardware store. The mother had always had good health, had started Medicare at age 65, including Part D for meds. A number of years passed and she didn't really have any benefit from Part D, as she didn't take any meds. The daughter was paying the monthly premiums as an expense from the store operations. Together they decided to STOP Part D. A few years later she needed to start taking prescriptions and decided the Part D plan would help with pricing. She was able to obtain a Part D again; but from having stopped and started again, she had a monetary penalty applied monthly that remained until her passing. Medicare and avoiding late enrollment penalties.

@shipwreckedandalone, let us know how that goes. I would be curious about your top 5 or 10 and why.

Tomorrow I go thru 2018-2022 data for watch list.