Happy New Year!  Our first reading list of the year includes a couple of pieces that take a look back at 2018, including the wild ride on the stock market, as well as some "newer" news.  Enjoy!

Personal Finance

• Our friend Barbara O’Neill provides a great overview of what happened in the world of Personal Finance in 2018. (Journal of Financial Planning)
• Beth Kobliner examines a Brooking Institute report on Artificial Intelligence and relates it to Financial Literacy.
• “Living Paycheck to Paycheck is Disturbingly Common…” The WAPO headline says it all!.

Investing/Stock Market

December was the worst performance for the stock market since December 1931!!! (So much for the Santa effect I posted several weeks ago.) Here are some takes on what we are experiencing.

• “Simple Questions About The Stock Market Plunge Simply Answered” (WAPO)
• “No Love Lost for 2018 on Wall Street” (Morning Brew)
• An interesting perspective from Peter Eavis and Binyamin Appelbaum of the (NYT).

Economics

• Here is the latest jobs report data and analysis. (NYT)

Millennials and Housing

• We have all heard of the “bank of mom and dad.” This bank is apparently funding a record number of first-time home-buyers.(WSJ)
• Over one third of young adults (18-35) are living at home. This Visual Capitalist interactive map shows you the picture by state.

Banking

• What’s new in banking?   Checkless banking accounts (without overdraft protection). These were designed to attract the "unbanked" and "underbanked" populations. (WSJ)

Teachers

• It may not come to a surprise to you, but educators are leaving the field at “record” numbers. (WSJ)

Students

• Are your students ready for college when they graduate? Could they use a year to mature a bit and explore? Apparently, colleges are welcoming the idea and some are funding “gap year” projects. (WSJ)
• Inside Higher Ed looks at some California Community Colleges’ decision to pass on a “free tuition” program tied to student loans.

About the Author