The economy is fantastic — unless you want a new job, a new home, or a new car

If you like your situation right now — your job, your house, your car — you can keep it. If you aren't so satisfied, well, tough luck, because you might have to keep it anyway. Making a major life change, especially an upgrade, is going to come at a cost — one that many Americans would rather avoid, if they can manage it. Welcome to the "trapped in place" economy.

"If you are trying to move, buy a car, whatnot, then you have all these bad buying conditions on top of everyday high prices, so it's a double whammy," Joanne Hsu, the director of consumer surveys at the University of Michigan, told me.