Become a Patron! One of the most interesting things about the US banking system is just how decentralized it is. While most developed nations have just a handful of major banks, the United States pairs those nationwide behemoths with thousands of smaller banks and credit unions that may serve an area as small as a single city or county. Of course, in the 21st century … [Read more...] about Oregon first-time home buyer savings accounts: is the juice worth the squeeze?
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How to apply to, enroll in, and attend college
Become a Patron! In my Wednesday review of Ron Lieber's college-cost book I promised my own streamlined take on how to think about higher education. One of the great shortcomings of Lieber's book is that it's focused on parents: the "You" in the title refers to you, the parent, rather than "You," the student. Unless you plan on taking your children's tests for them, "You" … [Read more...] about How to apply to, enroll in, and attend college
Book Review: Ron Lieber just wants to ask questions about college costs (that have obvious answers)
Become a Patron! Before I was a travel hacker, I was a higher education hacker. In fact, the first glimpse I had behind the rickety infrastructure of the modern economy was when I made a last minute decision to study abroad and my university's financial aid, which shouldn't have been applicable, appeared as a $40,000 credit in my account, which almost entirely paid for my … [Read more...] about Book Review: Ron Lieber just wants to ask questions about college costs (that have obvious answers)
Education, advice, and evasion
Become a Patron! A few years ago I wrote about one of the curious fixations I observed among the wealthy denizens of the finance industry: the need for "personal finance" education. In this telling, the problems troubling American civilization are not the result of financial deregulation, or corporate consolidation, or employee misclassification, or wage theft, or race and … [Read more...] about Education, advice, and evasion
Don’t pay for tax benefits you’re not using
Become a Patron! I had a very interesting conversation today that got me thinking about a tax issue I had never given serious thought to before, and which I think is probably totally unknown to most investors, but that affects virtually all of them: the exclusion of US federal interest payments from state income tax liability. Upon just a moment's reflection, I realized that … [Read more...] about Don’t pay for tax benefits you’re not using