For years, I wanted to write a book on personal finance and financial literacy. I finally found the time and wrote my take on what people need to understand in order to be effective with money. I have gone back and forth about whether to publish the manuscript through traditional means, self publish, etc. I … Continue reading Free guide to personal finance
Category: debt
Does COVID-19 change the rules of personal finance?
While experts have been warning about the potential for global pandemics for years, the emergence and spread of COVID-19 has been an enormous shock to societal systems. Along with the risk to life and health, many families have have been thrown into economic turmoil. In a world with the potential for social and economic shocks … Continue reading Does COVID-19 change the rules of personal finance?
Misleading statistics on college debt forgiveness
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are promising massive cancellation of student debt. There is around $1.5 Trillion in outstanding educational debt and 1-in-8 Americans are currently paying off educational loans. These loan forgiveness plans are promoted in the name of fairness, broader opportunity for the middle class and working class, and reducing inequality. The costs … Continue reading Misleading statistics on college debt forgiveness
Misleading statistics on the economic value of college
One of the most commonly-cited statistics about college is that the average graduate from a four-year college will earn a million dollars more over their lifetime than a high-school graduate. Most recently, this statistic has been propagated in a study at Georgetown, but this talking point has been around for much longer. Will a college … Continue reading Misleading statistics on the economic value of college
Conformity and Consumption
A vast array of analysis suggests that Americans are making poor financial decisions that have the potential to lead to extreme future regret. We are consuming way too much and saving too little. One of the best ways to understand why we are acting this way is societal pressure to conform. On one hand, we … Continue reading Conformity and Consumption