The 2017 Nobel Prize in economics was won by the University of Chicago’s Richard Thaler. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences gave the prize “for his contributions to behavioural economics,” which is the integration of economics with psychology. The award was not a total surprise since Thaler’s name was floated earlier on the list of potential winners. Continue reading Richard Thaler Wins the 2017 Economics Nobel Prize
savings
Why Some People and Businesses Are Happy About Rising Interest Rates
The Federal Reserve is expected to lift short-term interest rates at the close of its two-day meeting today and signal that more hikes are to come over the course of the year.
Numerous commentators have focused on who is hurt by rising rates, particularly those with lots of floating rate debt, such as a credit card balance, or anyone in need of a loan.
Not everyone, however, is negatively affected by rising rates. There are some individuals and businesses cheering the Fed on as it pushes up rates, including savers, people traveling abroad and foreign exporters and businesses with large cash balances.
Continue reading Why Some People and Businesses Are Happy About Rising Interest Rates
Could gambling be the secret to saving when rates are so low?
Many interest rates in the U.S. are close to zero and even negative in some parts of the world, like Japan.
Not unexpectedly, U.S. savings rates are also quite low as individuals ask themselves: “Why save a lot of money at a bank if I get no return?”
This situation has many commentators wringing their hands because low savings rates are a problem for many reasons.
Individuals who don’t save face spending their golden years of retirement in poverty, instead of plenty. In addition, people with no savings face financial problems and potential ruin when unexpected large expenses occur and cannot help out their children with large bills like college or a down payment on a first home.
In the absence of a rapid increase in interest rates, which appears unlikely, is there anything we can do to change this problem and get people to save more?
As odd as it may sound, gambling could be part of the answer. Continue reading Could gambling be the secret to saving when rates are so low?
Winner of $1.5 billion Powerball Faces Long Odds – But even longer odds of keeping it
The U.S. Powerball lottery is holding a drawing this week for a jackpot that’s already reached US$1.5 billion. That’s after the 18 drawings held since November failed to yield a winner, causing the grand prize to swell to this record sum.
This jackpot is drawing such attention that more people are buying tickets, and even the lottery’s own projections are changing rapidly. During the weekend the payout was an estimated $1.3 billion. Monday it was revised to $1.4 billion and on Tuesday it hit $1.5 billion. Continue reading Winner of $1.5 billion Powerball Faces Long Odds – But even longer odds of keeping it
Why you shouldn’t fear your finances (you’re probably richer than you think)
Do you procrastinate about taking care of financial matters in your life? Recently a fascinating article about financial procrastination appeared online. The author publicly admitted that “after years of procrastinating,” he finally logged on to his retirement account. It took him years to get around to dealing with it because the entire task made him anxious. Continue reading Why you shouldn’t fear your finances (you’re probably richer than you think)
Why is 3 Months the Rule for Emergency Savings?
In the previous blog post, I looked at how many people have emergency savings. Many financial advisers suggest having three months of expenses saved up. Why is three months “the rule?” Why not six months or one month? Continue reading Why is 3 Months the Rule for Emergency Savings?
Why Don’t More People Have Emergency Savings?
Financial advisers and the media (e.g. Time and NY Times) suggest the typical person should have 3 months of income saved in case of emergency. Emergency funds are important because people without these savings have no fall back when an unexpected bill, reduction in income or incredible opportunity arises. While having emergency savings is a good idea, relatively few people have this backup. Why don’t more people reduce their financial risk and put money aside? Continue reading Why Don’t More People Have Emergency Savings?