Become a Patron! Since the original CARES act in March, I've been trying to provide practical, real-world guidance on the nuances of federal and state aid to unemployed and self-employed workers. For reference: In May I shared my successful EIDL loan application; In July I asked whether the PPP program was designed to fail; In August I broke down what programs … [Read more...] about MEUC: the unemployment insurance top-up no one is talking about
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)
The right and wrong lessons from the Gamestop trading fiasco
Become a Patron! Like everyone on the internet, for the last few days I've been following the fascinating and hilarious story of the little message board that made a small dent in the quarter-on-quarter performance of a few particularly poorly managed hedge funds. There are plenty of bad and a few good descriptions of the situation out there already, so I'll assume readers … [Read more...] about The right and wrong lessons from the Gamestop trading fiasco
Good reasons to own bonds
Become a Patron! For as long as I've been writing about money, I've been saying almost everybody owns too many bonds. My argument has nothing to do with "risk" or "volatility" or "rebalancing." It's much simpler than that: bonds don't pay enough in interest. If and when they start paying more in interest, I will like them more and start saying people should buy them. But … [Read more...] about Good reasons to own bonds