Reading List for August 20-22
By Beth Tallman
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Aug 20, 2021
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Current Events, Economics, Budgeting, Investing, Student Loans, Retirement
Economics
Retail sales dropped more than expected in July. (CNBC) But there are signs that back to school shopping for 2021 has rebounded, and may help August numbers. (NRF.com)
Goldman Sachs economists have cut back their third quarter GDP projections due to the resurgence of Covid/Delta variant. (Reuters)
2020 was the year of the entrepreneur. Startups jumped 24% over the previous year according to Census data. (NYT)
Here is this week’s data-heavy suggestion. A Data Scientist from the...
Reading List for August 13-15
By Beth Tallman
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Aug 13, 2021
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Current Events, Financial Literacy, Economics, Investing, Cryptocurrencies, Student Loans
FinLit/Financial Health
Extrapolating data from a collaborative report with LendingClub, “Reality Check: The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report,” 43 of the 71 million millenials in the US are living paycheck to paycheck, even those with higher incomes.
“Per the August report, “Many millennials are beginning to make larger expenditures for the first time, whether that means purchasing a car, taking out a mortgage or preparing financially to have children. These are all...
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 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...
Reading List for June 4-6
Economics
Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, seems to agree with economists previously cited in reading lists and EconExtras that inflation may go up temporarily as economy starts back up, but demand and therefore prices will cool down soon. (CNBC)
This New York Times presents lots of economic indicators (graphs) to evaluate the recovery so far.
Unemployment claims dropped to under 400,000 last week. (Reuters)
May jobs report showed payroll increase of 559,000 and unemployment at 5.8%....
Question of the Day [Updated]: What's the new interest rate on federal student loans for the 2021-22 school year?
Answer: 3.73% (vs. 2.75% for 2020-21 school year)
Questions:
How do you think this interest rate compares to the interest charged on credit card debt?
Average student debt is around $30,000 for college graduates. At current interest rates, roughly how much in interest would be paid over the life of a 10-year student loan? Here's a loan calculator to help with the math.
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use with your...
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...
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 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...
Reading List for January 8-10
Economics
Biggest economic news this week hit today: The December jobs report shows a 140,000 decline, the first decline since April, and the news for long-term unemployed and labor force participation aren’t great. (NYTimes)
This followed yesterday’s news on initial jobless claims, still stubbornly high. (Yahoo Finance)
The US Trade deficit hit a 14-year high in November. (Reuters)
January 1 brought increases in the minimum wage across the country. (NYTimes)
(Economist-graph...
Reading List for December 4-6
Investing
Michael Batnick provides a well thought out answer to the question “is Robinhood (any zero commission/fraction share platform) good for investors?” (The Irrelevant Investor)
Economics
Why economists support more stimulus, and what will happen come January 1 if there is no further stimulus. (NYTimes – subscription)
The number of Americans using credit cards to pay rent has risen 70% over last year. NPR
Mortgage rates hit yet another record low: the 30-year rate...
Black Friday 2020 Reading List
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Nov 27, 2020
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Economics, Investing, Behavioral Finance, Student Loans, Cryptocurrencies, Taxes
Hope you all had an enjoyable and safe Thanksgiving yesterday!
Black Friday
Here is one out of the UK to read BEFORE you do any Black Friday shopping, using behavioral economics to explain marketing tactics. (MouthyMoney)
While we are on Black Friday—what will it look like? (Probably like Cyber Monday.) (USA Today)
And Nathan Burrow of the NYT shares advice on how to avoid overspending on Black Friday. (NYT-subscription)
Economics
Surprise!? Consumer Confidence fell unexpectedly in...
Reading List for November 13-15
Investment
Retirement account balances on the rise, as are 401k “Millionaires.” (Yahoo Finance)
The pandemic seemed to be driving the market this week: soaring when promising vaccine results were announces, then fell back as case numbers continue to spike. (Yahoo Finance)
It is going to be a big year for consumer tech IPOs. (CNBC) Instacart is one of many companies planning an IPO in coming months. (Fox Business)
Economics
Unemployment claims moving in the right direction,...
5 Resources to Decipher the U.S. Debt Clock
The U.S. Debt Clock illustrates our soaring debt by the second. As sobering as it is, it can serve as a springboard into multiple personal finance topics.
Student loan debt
By the time readers are engaging with this article, our national student loan debt may have surpassed $1.7 trillion. Use this to ignite a discussion and select one of these three interactives to extend their learning.
Credit card debt
American consumer credit card debt is approaching $1 trillion, and I have to wonder,...
Question of the Day (Update): What was the average amount of student debt for 2019 college graduates?
Answer: $28,950
Click for interactive map
Questions:
Does the number “$28,950” seem like high average amount of debt? Why or why not?
Given that the average new car loan is over $30,000, would you think of student debt differently from a car loan in terms of what you are receiving for the debt?
Explain how and why you are concerned about student debt. What can you do to minimize your debt when you graduate?
Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question...
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