Have any of you actually benefited from the current economic state?

Good question. My first answer would be definitely no, we lost about 40% of our stock portfolio which we worked VERY hard to get. My company is laying off but so far I have kept my job (fingers crossed). However, if I am trying to see a silver lining, I would say that it has helped me to focus on non-materialistic things with my family. Instead of going to a restaurant I shop at Sam's club and me and my two kids all make a big batch of spaghetti together. Instead of buying a new WII game we played a board game. My kids are getting a better understanding of values that my parents who were depression babies ped down to me So overall, no, its been a stressful time, but I think its possible to always learn a lesson whenever possible.