What's New With Paying for College (2021)
The Pandemic has taken a huge toll on college students. Thousands, particularly those who are lower-income, minority, first-generation college students, have had to shift to lower-cost programs or delay their education altogether. Community colleges saw enrollment down over 9% last year, compared to about 3% for total college enrollment. It was estimated that twenty-five percent of last year’s high school graduates delayed going to school because of Covid and related financial issues last...
Reading List for July 30-Aug 1
There were lots of headlines this week, including a bunch on Robinhood. Choose what looks most interesting and dig in!
Economics
GDP for the second quarter was announced this week, and the US is officially back to where it started before the pandemic hit. Sounds like good news, but the growth fell short of expectations, and jobless claims were a bit higher than expected. (CNBC) (DOL)
The Urban Institute published its assessment of the impact of government benefit and stimulus...
Reading List for June 25-28
Economics
This week’s new jobless claims remained virtually unchanged at 411,000. At this point, it is probably helpful to look at 2019 numbers, which averaged 200,000, to measure progress of the recovery. Yahoo Finance
What is going on with these persistent unemployment claims? The Bonddad explains.
The Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, the PCE, rose to its highest level since 2008 in May, but it is largely “noise. (NYT)
A top economist explains just how...
Reading List for June 11-13
By Beth Tallman
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Jun 11, 2021
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Investing, Economics, Employment, Paying for College, Taxes, Advocacy
Investing
“The Mystery of the $113 million Deli” provides insight into the mechanics of SPACs while resolving this mystery. (NYT-Sunday)
Here is the CNBC article on adding I-Bonds to your portfolio (following one from the Wall Street Journal in last week’s list.)
Inflation figures haven’t spooked the market as the S&P 500 hit a new record yesterday. (CNBC)
Have you heard of the banking app “Dave?” It is backed by Mark Cuban and will go public via a SPAC....
Reading List for MDW 2021
Economics
Personal Consumption Expenditures Index jumped 3.6% in April (core up 3.1%) year-over-year. (CNBC)
For more on the PCE and why it is important (this is the metric the Fed relies on as an inflation measure), check out this MarketPlace article.
And for even more fine-tuning, check out this Cleveland Fed post on their measure: Median PCE.
Initial jobless claims dropped for the fourth week in a row to 406,000. (Yahoo Finance)
Of Dollars and Data takes a closer look at the financial...
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...
My Classroom Podcast: FAFSA Filing Ideas With Fellows
My Classroom is a short NGPF podcast series devoted to supporting the efforts of teachers. Each week we will speak with different teachers who will share timely tips, resources, and teaching strategies that can be implemented immediately into the classroom.
In this week's episode, we speak to a wonderful group of NGPF Fellows. NGPF Fellows dedicate time on Saturday mornings to meet up, check-in on one another, and share helpful tips & classroom strategies.
Join the conversation with Amanda...
My Classroom Podcast: Dr. Sessaty
My Classroom is a short NGPF podcast series devoted to supporting the efforts of teachers. Each week we will speak with different teachers who will share timely tips, resources, and teaching strategies that can be implemented immediately into the classroom.
In this week's episode, we speak to Dr. Sessaty, Director for Postsecondary Initiatives at San Antonio ISD. Dr. Sessaty’s program has been nationally recognized for increasing college enrollment rates and FAFSA completion rates. At the...
NGPF Podcast: NY Times Columnist Ron Lieber on his new book, The Price You Pay for College
Ron Lieber returns to the NGPF Podcast to discuss his latest book. This podcast is a must-listen for educators and counselors helping young people navigate the college and financial aid maze. Ron shares his insights into the current "merit aid" system, the emotional baggage many bring into the college decision-making process and also what to look for in a college. His advice will educate, empower and provide listeners with key questions they should be asking. Enjoy!
Details:...
Reading List for February 12-14
By Beth Tallman
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Feb 12, 2021
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Cryptocurrencies, Investing, Economics, Budgeting, Taxes, Paying for College
Happy Valentine's Day!
BitCoin
Bitcoin may be winning the headline contest over GameStop this week. Let’s start with “What can you buy with bitcoin?” (NYT)
The nation’s oldest bank, BNY Mellon, and Mastercard announce they are getting on the cyrptocurrency bandwagon. (Markets Insider)
Tesla may have triggered the latest run-up in bitcoin pricing after their announcement of a $1.5 billion investment, and that they would accept bitcoin as payment for their cars. (CNBC)...
Question of the Day: What percent of students receive scholarships or grants for college?
Answer: 63% of all undergraduates receive at least one grant or scholarship.
Questions
Would you choose a college just based on how many scholarships or grant aid you receive from them? Why or why not?
Aside from the percentage of students receiving scholarship or grant aid, what else would you want to know when researching colleges?
What are other ways that you can pay for college besides scholarships or grants?
How are scholarships and grants different from loans?
Click...
Reading List for January 29-31
Game Stop
Seems like we could devote the entire reading list to Game Stop. It is the topic of this week’s FinCap Friday, this 15 minute primer on NGPF with Tim and Yanely, and NGPF will hold a PD on Monday about it as well. In the mean time, here are several articles covering several aspects of this phenomenon.
If you read/watch nothing else on the topic, WATCH THIS! NBC’s Stephanie Ruhle’s explanation of the situation, being called a “short...
A Worrying Trend for High School Seniors
As of January 15th, 2021, only one out of three high school seniors have filed a FAFSA -- which is down about 10% from this time last year, according to the FAFSA Tracker which uses data from the U.S. Department of Education. And the numbers are even worse for seniors who qualify for free and reduced lunch (FAFSA completions are down by 13%) and students of color (down by 15.4%).
Here is what makes this such a worrying trend: NerdWallet estimated that students who are Pell Grant-eligible missed...
NGPF Podcast: NGPF Payback Challenge National Winners Alexandra Hovdestad and Andrew Tomlinson
Each fall, the NGPF Payback Challenge provides students across the country with the opportunity to earn college scholarships with $50,000 awarded. This week, you will hear from our two National Winners, Alexandra Hovdestad of Lenape High School (Medford, NJ) and Andrew Tomlinson of Mora High School. They will share what they learned from the NGPF Arcade game, Payback, and how it has influenced their college plans in the future. In our Current Events section, Yanely discusses a financing...
NGPF Announces Winners of 4th Annual PAYBACK Challenge Scholarship
PALO ALTO, California, January 19, 2021
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Next Gen Personal Finance (NGPF), a non-profit committed to ensuring that ALL students leave high school with the financial skills needed to thrive in the future, is pleased to recognize the National Grand Prize and Honorable Mention award recipients in their 4th annual PAYBACK Challenge Scholarship Contest.
Congratulations to the National Grand Prize winners who each will receive a $2,500 scholarship from NGPF to be used for educational...
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