Reading List for June 18-20
By Beth Tallman
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Jun 18, 2021
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Economics, Investing, Cryptocurrencies, Budgeting, Student Loans, Retirement
Economics
New jobless claims reversed the streak of declines this week, and continuing claims remained the same. (Yahoo Finance)
The Washington Post dug deep into BLS and other data to see which industries were experiencing a labor shortage, versus the tight labor market that is more generally the experience across the board.
(Slate) provides a more detailed and nuanced examination of the current inflation picture.
The Federal Reserve Banks’ Open Market Committee met this week and...
INTERACTIVE: Your Financial Personality Type
This straightforward interactive is easy for students to use and can help them understand their own financial personality and some customized behavior strategies. I took the quiz myself and apparently, I am a Fitbit Financier, which means:
“You check your online bank account and track your spending as often as someone training for an extreme sporting event measures their calorie intake, resting heart rate and sleep quality. As well as obsessing over credit card points, you probably like...
Question of the Day: What has happened to used car prices over the past year?
Answer: 21% increase
Questions:
Do you know anyone who has looked to buy a used car recently? What was their experience like?
Why do you think that used car prices have risen?
Is there a substitute available for consumers looking to buy cars?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the numbers (Consumer Reports):
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, used-car prices have jumped 21 percent since April...
Question of the Day: Which U.S. cities had the largest housing rental price increase in 2020?
Answer:
Las Vegas, NV: 45.6%
Buffalo, NY: 41.8%
Scottsdale, AZ: 36.8%
Questions:
What has caused the rental prices to increase in these cities during 2020?
Would the cost of housing and rental prices affect where you decide to live? Why?
How might an increase or reduction in housing rental prices affect a decision to pursue homeownership?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
...
Question of the Day: What’s the real value of $100 in each state?
Answer from Tax Foundation:
Purchasing power (a.k.a. cost of living) becomes a critical consideration for students considering where they would like to live or even go to college. $100 will buy you a lot less if you attend college or live in New York City vs. rural Maine. This national map shows how purchasing power varies by state.
How to read this chart:
To better understand, imagine a store offering a range of goods and services, each for sale at the national average price for that...
Reading List for May 14-16
The delayed tax deadline is Monday. So let’s start this week’s list with one on Taxes.
5 tax tasks to take care of by May 17 (Don't Mess With Taxes)
Economics
Here are several articles discussing the Consumer Price Index jump in April.
CNBC covers the basics and the NYT (I highly recommend reading anything by Jeanna Smialek) provides a bit more analysis.
The WSJ discusses Fed Governor Waller’s comments on the number, and also discusses which components of the CPI may...
NGPF On-Demand: Budgeting in the Gig Economy
NGPF On-Demand is a professional development opportunity that allows teachers to deepen their content knowledge on their own schedule and at their own pace.
One of the 26 modules available is “Budgeting in the Gig Economy”. This module explores the gig economy and unique budgeting considerations and strategies that gig work necessitates.
Here are some highlights from the module:
Watch a video that describes what is meant by “the gig economy”.
Watch a...
Question of the Day: What sneaker brand had the highest average resale value in 2020?
Answer: Jordan (averaging a resale price of 54% above retail)
Questions:
Have you ever bought or sold a product in the resale market? Why?
Why are certain brands/products so desirable in the resale market?
2020 saw a boost in sneaker resale. What caused this spike in sneaker sales?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the numbers (Statista):
"Over the past few years, the secondary sneaker market has grown into a beast...
Question of the Day: What percent of the U.S. food supply is wasted?
Answer: 30-40%.
PBS video (5 minutes): Top Chef’ Tom Colicchio on America’s staggering waste of food
Questions:
Is food waste an issue in your family?
How does “Sell by date” lead to unnecessary food waste? What steps are being taken to fix this situation?
What are some ideas that you can use to reduce the amount of food that you/your family waste?
Here's the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the...
JACKPOT! The Data USA Interactive
By Brian Page
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Apr 07, 2021
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Interactive, Career, Budgeting, Current Events, Student Loans, Paying for College
Data USA is the greatest interactive I have ever seen. Highlighted with orange boxes below are the primary categories you want to click on when exploring the site.
These data visualization tools can be used in countless ways. You can always go straight to the site yourself and think through ways you can use it. For those who wanted this work done for you, you’re in luck. Here’s what I’m going to share in this post:
The Interactive: A 4 minute tutorial on how to...
Reading List for March 19-21
Economics
Retail sales fell in February. Was it the cold? Or did folks run through their stimulus money in January. (CNN)
Weekly unemployment were back up slightly from last week. Read about new and continuing claims from AP.
Fed FOMC met this week and will likely keep rates at or near zero until 2023 and expects GDP growth to hit 6.5% this year. (AP, Yahoo Finance)
Trying to remember how the Federal Reserve Bank handled the impending financial crisis a year ago? Here is a good recap....
Reading List for March 5-7
By Beth Tallman
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Mar 05, 2021
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Financial Literacy, Economics, Investing, Cryptocurrencies, Retirement, Budgeting
Financial Literacy
ICYMI--Here is a link to Tim Ranzetta’s piece for The Street.
Economics
This week marked Fed Independence Day (Happy 70th!). Here is a Planet Money episode explaining what that is all about.
Speaking of the Fed, Jerome Powell’s comments yesterday about the potential for some inflation as the economy restarts sent markets moving. (CNBC)
For more on Powell’s message stressing patience, read the NYT explanation.
Initial jobless claims...
Question of the Day: What percent of homebuyers in Nov/Dec 2020 made an offer on a house they hadn't seen in person?
Answer: 63%
Questions:
Would you consider buying a house that you couldn’t see in person?
What do you think home buyers might miss if they rely strictly on online sources of information?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the numbers (NY Times):
Sixty-three percent of buyers who used Redfin in November and December went on to make an offer on a home they hadn’t seen in...
Question of the Day: What percent of Gen Z subscribe or share a Netflix account?
Answer: 78%
Questions:
Do you subscribe to Netflix? What makes it such a popular platform?
How do you enjoy movie and television content? What is your streaming service of choice?
In light the Covid-19 pandemic and the growth of streaming services, do you think movie theaters will continue to find success when reopened?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the numbers (Business of Apps):...
Question of the Day (Updated): How much did 18-24 year olds expect to spend on Valentine's Day?
Answer: $184
Questions:
Which age group(s) plan to celebrate the most?
Which age group is expecting to spend the most?
What do you think are the most common items purchased on Valentine's Day?
Try and name 5 and estimate their cost.
Here's the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.
Behind the numbers (National Retail Federation):
As consumers in the United States bought heart-shaped treats and made...
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