Q&A: How will the Wall Street crisis affect average Americans?

WASHINGTON - Average Americans have a lot at stake in how the widening financial crisis plays out. Here are some answers to questions about it:

Q. What does all this Wall Street volatility mean to me?

A. If you have a 401(k), you shield some of your income from taxation through an IRA or a lot of your retirement savings are in stocks, you've already seen a sharp drop in the value of your nest egg. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is on pace for one of its worst years ever, but even if you've parked your cash in a bank, today's rising inflation is eroding its value.

Q. Is this like 1929, when the stock...