Building Financial Literacy. Creating Future Leaders.
March of 2020 marked the end of the longest bull market in history, capping off an 11 year run that saw unprecedented gains. But who was the culprit behind the demise of this extraordinary time of prosperity in the markets? Many will point to the spread of the coronavirus, which has affected the lives of […]
Originating in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus epidemic has headlined international news for the better part of the last two months. Global health concerns over the spread of the virus have been especially heightened with the presence of Lunar New Year celebrations, the virus’ long incubation period, and the fact that Wuhan is a major transportation […]
Campaign finance has always been a controversial topic, especially ever since 2010. If you aren’t familiar, 2010 was the year the Supreme Court voted on Citizens United v. FEC, which allowed the formation of Super PACs that can spend unlimited amounts of money on campaigns. This decision caused huge controversy, and people have been calling for […]
Abstract The black-white wealth gap in the United States is a system of economic control that white elites historically devised to keep African Americans in a second-class economic status. This gap, which, nowadays, consists of a sixteen times discrepancy between the median wealth of white and black households, is driven by four key factors: homeownership […]
As the holiday season goes into full swing, many people turn to spend time with family and spread the spirit of giving. However, another behemoth force lurks beneath the surface of holiday cheer: the holiday shopping season. Traditionally, the holiday shopping season lasts from early November to mid-December, and is headlined by Black Friday, which […]
With the stock market reaching record highs, many investors have good reason to be worried about a potential correction. With an unstable political climate and an unceasing US-China “Trade War,” the Dow’s continued ascent towards 30,000 appears to be part of a growing bubble. Yet, inflation numbers continue to hover around 1.8% annually. If investors […]
The total amount of consumer debt in the United States is about 13.86 trillion and the average American has about $38,000 in personal debt. Debt not only ruins credit but can also lead to negative emotional effects like low self-esteem and stress. Luckily, there are ways to take control of your debt. What is debt? […]
When travelling to another country, you’ll often hear that goods and services are “cheaper” than in the country you came from. But how much more can your dollar buy in another country? The answer lies in purchasing parity power, or PPP. This method of comparing currencies is commonly used in macroeconomic analysis, in order to […]
The economy is far too vast and complex to fully understand, and thus economists have made models to simplify the many moving components: one of the most important is the circular flow model. Today we’ll be discussing it, the implications of the model, and the assumptions and simplifications made to construct this model. The Model […]
In high school, we have our social, academic, and athletic connections. The people we surround ourselves with know our passions, skills, and who we are. How do we apply this to our career? A professional network is connections that are related to your career and people are are in similar fields. It is a process […]
A significant holder of equity and capital all around the world is sovereign wealth funds (SWF), but very few have heard of them and even fewer know how they work. What are they? Why do they exist? And how do they work? I’ll try to answer these questions and give you some practical examples of […]
On Saturday, September 14th, a drone strike from a Yemeni rebel group affiliated with Iran attacked Saudi Arabia’s largest oil production field, taking out 10% of Saudi oil production and nearly 5% of the entire globe’s oil supply. In the wake of the attack, crude oil prices skyrocketed, marked by a 12.62% increase by market […]
If you follow the financial markets, you’re likely somewhat familiar with the recently called off WeWork initial public offering, or IPO for short. With a valuation that reached levels as high as $47 billion and balance sheets indicating a company hemorrhaging cash, WeWork’s plan had all the indications of the 1999-era excess and technology bubble. […]
In recent weeks, global markets have been put under a tremendous amount of stress, with speculation that this unprecedented era of growth is now on the decline. Market indicators such as the inverted yield curve on U.S. Treasury bonds have further pressured the bullish market, leaving the future uncertain for investors. With these troubling times […]
With the next Presidential election quickly approaching, the Democratic stage is heating up. In fact, as I write this, over twenty candidates are still contenders in the race. With so much competition, it can be hard for candidates to distinguish themselves. However, one candidate has had no trouble sticking out for his differences: he didn’t […]
The foreign exchange market (FOREX), is the heart that pumps the lifeblood of global trade; currency transactions. Without this facilitator for trade, the era of globalization as we know it would simply not function. However, what happens when a country purposefully manipulates their currency to gain a competitive advantage in the world of trade? In […]
With the 2020 election fast approaching and with global warming entering center stage, carbon taxes have been in the news. A carbon tax is, as the name implies, a tax which businesses must pay when they produce carbon emissions with the goal of solving the climate crisis. While the proposal is increasingly called too little […]
Amidst ongoing trade tensions and a slowing global economy, the Federal Reserve has just lowered the federal funds rate by 25 basis points (0.25%). The last cut of the federal funds rate was in 2008, as the financial crisis was unwinding. However, the United States is in no financial crisis: there is solid job growth, […]
Are robots going to steal your job? Not exactly, or at least not in the way you might be imagining it. But in a way, they already have. Think about it. From customer service to transportation, there are tons of instances of humans being replaced by machines. There’s no way around it: both automation and […]
Money is often cited as one of the biggest sources of stress for Americans. One of the rising solutions to help fight the stresses of managing finances is with the help of mobile apps. From budgeting to debt payoff, there are all sorts of personal finance apps to help you stay on top of things. […]
What activities do you do? What are your plans after high school? What do you want to study? What profession do you want to pursue after college? Every high school student faces these same daunting questions from curious adults and teachers. But how does one get even the slightest idea of what they want to […]
The short answer: it depends. Not everyone is going to spend and save the same percentage of their income each month. However, deciding upon a feasible plan to allocate your monthly spending is important, and something that everyone should be doing once they receive an income. Currently, Americans have one of the worst savings habits […]
In the past few years, the marijuana industry has expanded at an unprecedented pace, and has not looked back. The recent legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada, as well as continual legalization in states has paved the way for manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and shops to take advantage of the rapidly growing market. Marijuana-based IPOs have […]
As much as investing is crucial to our economy, so are the rules which regulate it. As shown in history, when regulation was misguided or lacking, massive financial and economic crises have happened, most notably the Great Depression and Great Recession. Why are regulation so important? Most clearly, they prevent the misconduct which places excessive […]
Seven Things Students Can Do to Guarantee Future Financial Success For many students finishing up high school and heading to college, the prospect of planning for your financial future might seem intimidating. Between taking steps towards financial independence and learning how to rely on yourself as a primary income source, trying to navigate the world […]
With admissions rates dropping and college tuitions rising, making decisions about which college to attend or what to study can present students with a difficult set of challenges. Often, labels of prestige and other societal preconceptions can overwhelm the decision making process. Fortunately, there are a number of tools that students can employ to help […]
If you have ever held on to money for an extended period of time, you may have noticed the money being worth less. Perhaps you were saving money to buy a new phone, but when you checked the price again it went up by twenty dollars. Perhaps you noticed that, although your wages went up, […]
It seems like the US economy crashes every decade or so, and there is some fact in this; the US economy and every other economy undergoes alternating periods of expansion and depression. This phenomenon is called the business cycle. What is the business cycle? Specifically, the business cycle refers to the fluctuation of the economy […]
The 401(k) retirement account is one of the best ways to save for retirement. Unfortunately, living off Social Security just isn’t a reality for everyone, so being able to understand how to use retirement accounts to its fullest is crucial. In this article, I will detail what a 401(k) is, a little bit about the […]
Just as heart rate and blood pressure are used to measure well-being, economists rely on a number of indicators to help them understand the health of the economy. Although economic indicators can meet a wide range of definitions, certain indicators like the rate of unemployment or the price level are often seen as some of […]
If you follow the markets closely, you have likely heard of the infamous “inverted yield curve.” Many experts on CNBC may link this flip to a coming recession, or a bear market. The stock market responds to the news of the curve reversal with strong selling. Today, the indicator has just made its presence known […]
When looking at a market, leftists see a means by which the rich can exploit the labor of the poor to build on their fortunes. Proponents of economic freedom would see rational actors negotiating fair prices through competition, the effect of what Adam Smith called the “invisible hand” of the market. Both are correct only […]
You may have heard someone say “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. This phrase was commonly said by Milton Friedman, a Nobel Prize winning economist. What Friedman meant is that even if someone else takes you out to lunch, there is still a cost, such as the time and energy you spent […]
In an earlier lesson, we introduced one of the most fundamental relationships in economics: supply and demand. In order to best make sense of the relationship between supply and demand, it is important to understand each element individually. Previously, we covered demand, which is defined as the level of desire for a good or service […]
There are a lot of misconceptions about unemployment, the unemployment rate, and the labor force. The term “unemployment” seems to imply that it represents all members of a country’s population that are not working — intuitively, this makes sense. However, the term is more nuanced, and there is a reason for that. With various macroeconomic […]
Have you ever noticed that swimsuits are cheaper in the winter than in the summer? Or that it will cost you less to go to the movies on a Tuesday morning than it will on a Saturday evening? These everyday observations can be explained by one of the most fundamental concepts in economics: supply and […]
One of the most important technical indicators to value investors is the P/B ratio, or the Price to Book ratio. This ratio effectively describes the fundamental value of a company relative to their balance sheet. This strategy has been largely pioneered by the most famous value investors of all, Benjamin Graham and Warren Buffet. The […]
If you don’t have much experience with economics, the subject might seem daunting and obscure. You might even assume that economics is all about money and finance, and that it has nothing to do with your daily life. This is far from the truth. First of all, it must be understood that economics is a […]
My obsession with finance and economics has opened many doors. From gaining interest in AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, to investing avidly in the stock market, I’ve learned many things. I’ve realized that human nature is in fact a force that must be reckoned with in economic analysis, and I’ve realized that history may be destined […]
One of the most important reasons to invest and save is retirement; in your lifetime, you need to accumulate enough wealth to continue supporting yourself without income, and the paltry sums which social security entitle you are just not enough to live off of. In this lesson, I will talk about one way to store […]
For 80 years, humans have been placing themselves in metal tubes that whiz around the earth’s atmosphere at 600 miles per hour. Today, Elon Musk is doing the same thing, only instead of putting these vessels miles into the air, he is planning to place them on the ground. The Hyperloop is a light, aerodynamic […]
With tax season quickly approaching, many Americans are yet again faced with the daunting task of filing their returns. Taxes are nearly always given a bad reputation, for their confusing nature and because of the incredibly mysterious tax laws that the United States currently has in place. However, understanding the tax system of one’s country […]
Investing and trading are two different types of stock market strategies. Generally, the investor seeks to create slow and steady returns through investing in companies’ business plans and balance sheets. The trader, on the other hand, seeks to make risky short-term plays in market equities, often entering and exiting a stock position in seconds. Both […]
Getting a loan is one of the most important things in the life of an adult which the US education system has failed to teach its students. It allows us to set up our lives without having the money to do so. In this article, I will try to talk you through, step-by-step, getting a […]
On May 6, 2010, the Dow Jones cascaded into a nine percent plunge. Down nearly 1000 points, the markets were in an absolute frenzy. Blue chips with solid fundamentals and no surprises in the news were shocked with losses as high as 40%, in just 30 minutes. Then, equities climbed right back up as fast […]
Dividends are often the key factor for long term investors in differentiating between risky and safe plays. In time of great market volatility, or even bear markets, an expected cash quarterly cash payout is a safe haven for investors. The global markets are heading for a 10 year expansion, but some underlying risks do remain […]
Diversification is one of the most basic but important tools used to manage risk within a portfolio. Before we jump into why diversification is so important, let us first define the term. What is diversification? Diversification in a portfolio is when an investor buys assets of all different types. A well-diversified portfolio will have different […]
Credit is an important financial concept that each and every individual in an economy must be aware of and understand. Whether you want to buy goods with a credit card, or want to be able to take mortgage loans from the bank so that you can buy a house, you must have a good understanding […]
In 1908, Henry Ford revolutionized transportation by bringing the Ford Model T, the first mass-produced automobile, to market. Today, we are in the midst of another revolution in transportation: autonomous driving. It’s a buzz-phrase that has been around for a while, but is only recently truly coming to fruition. Car companies and tech giants alike […]
Society loathes the investor, and it’s quite clear why. They seem to profit off pure luck and others’ hard work, and very tellingly, their income is legally called unearned. Additionally, their irresponsibility and greed have caused the Great Depression and the Great Recession, resulting in a fervent anti-Wall Street movement. But in reality, they actually […]
With a net worth of over $80 billion, Warren Buffett has already cemented himself into the annals of stock market history. Buffett’s conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway has grown its assets to the hundreds of billions, and currently has major stakes in dozens of large market capitalization companies. However, although Buffett’s success may instill awe in the […]
The reform journalists in the early 1900s have made monopoly into a bad word. Every worker and consumer in America scorn the word as if it was cheater or exploiter, still conjuring an image of the strike-crushers and robber-barons who made millions in oil and steel. As a result, no company today wants to be […]
According to Robinhood, “Getting started with a small amount of money is better than not investing at all.” This statement greatly reflects why you should begin your investing career in Robinhood. Offering free trades, an easily understandable platform, and the ability to easily buy and sell equities, Robinhood is quickly becoming the top choice for […]
As the level of debt in the United States continues to increase, the country cannot continue to ignore unchecked federal spending and increasing student debt. According to Just Facts, government debt alone is equal to “105% of the U.S. gross domestic product,” and “617% of annual federal revenues.” By 2050, it is estimated that U.S. […]
What is the stock market? You may have heard of the NASDAQ. What about the NYSE? Have you heard of the CME? All of these are exchanges, or places in investors or traders can purchase or sell securities or equities (such as stocks, bonds, or commodities). What is it? The stock market is a place […]
As you are handling your investments or reading the news, you might come across the word bond. What is a bond? What does it do? When is it appropriate to buy? In this article, I will try to explain the basics of financial bonds in the simplest terms. How does a bond work? A bond […]
When you think of the world “macroeconomy,” you likely think of a magnified economy – the economy of a nation, perhaps even a global economy. This is the right idea. The macroeconomy is a certain economic institution or system that operates on a large scale. Rather than reducing economic units to the household or the […]
Predicted to have the world’s largest economy by 2030, China has continued to prove to be a financial powerhouse for the past decade. With a GDP growth rate of at least 6% every year since 2008, China is a force to be reckoned with. However, recent trade war tensions and Beijing’s crackdown on corrupt Chinese […]
A vast majority of government intervention into economic matters is for the benefit of the consumer or the worker, and in fact, many businesses see an active government as an obstacle or even an enemy. But there are government policies which when enacted actually create a better economic environment for business. This lesson will cover […]