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
higher education
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)
Some time-sensitive thoughts on fall higher education enrollment
Become a Patron! Long-time readers know that one of my earliest recurring themes here on the blog was techniques to bring down the cost of higher education. Not by "applying for scholarships" or "getting good grades," but by manipulating the machinery of the financial aid system. With colleges and universities around the country announcing their decisions about whether … [Read more...] about Some time-sensitive thoughts on fall higher education enrollment
The (weird) optionality of Series EE savings bonds
Become a Patron! There's a cliche at least as old as I am, that while ATM's were expected to reduce the demand for bank tellers, banks actually increased the number of tellers they employed, for the counter-intuitive reason that a bank branch was much easier to administer once simple deposits and withdrawals were handled by machines. Instead of wiping out the retail branch, … [Read more...] about The (weird) optionality of Series EE savings bonds
What to watch for as the Senate panics over the SECURE Act
Become a Patron! My readers know that the SECURE Act, passed unanimously out of its House committee and overwhelmingly on the floor of the House, was conjured into existence by the insurance industry in order to increase the distribution of expensive, opaque annuity products in 401(k) retirement plans. It incidentally also includes a few other provisions designed to reduce … [Read more...] about What to watch for as the Senate panics over the SECURE Act