Economy

• This detailed Vox article explains what recent Supreme Court rulings at the end of this term mean for American business and the future of Antitrust. Economics nerds will enjoy the good examples of monopoly and monopsony here.
• How do American workers fare compared to their counterparts across the world? Maybe not so well.

“Only Spain and Greece, whose economies have been ravaged by the euro-zone crisis, have more households earning less than half the nation’s median income — an indicator that unusually large numbers of people either are poor or close to being poor.”

• I’ve heard that in the housing industry, it’s a sellers’ market. Here are some details.
• And here is the latest jobs report that came out this morning: Jobs up 213,000 but unemployment up to 4%. Read what that means.

Student Loans

• If Navient services your student loans, read how lawsuits against the company might impact you.
• We have seen the rise of some crazy game shows, but we are about to see one where winners have their student loans paid off!!!
• This MarketWatch article could be a good checklist for your students’ parents.

Retirement/Social Security

• Here is a good guide from the Washington Post explaining the elements of Social Security payments.
• And another WAPO article discusses the pros and cons of using a reverse mortgage to help finance your retirement.

Environment

• China has literally been buying our garbage, specifically, our recycling. But now that they have stopped taking our plastics,, what do we do with it?
• Plastic straws have become the latest target of environmentalists, this history of the straw from the Atlantic gives an interesting view of the history of a variety of related industries.

Personal Finance

• Apparently, the gender gap begins at home, as parents pay boys more than girls for chores.
• Results from a 10-year NEFE study are in: financially independent millennials are happier than those still dependent on parents.
• Financial insecurity is the top reason young Americans are having fewer children. This can spell trouble for many, as fewer younger workers will be supporting increasing numbers of retirees.
• Instead, Americans are spending on their pets. From kibble to cloning, they spent $69.5B on pets last year!

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