Ask the average person about her smartphone, and the odds are better than even that she’ll be able to recite the make, model, and salient features such as battery life and camera quality. She may even be in a position to rank the phone relative to other handsets and to make a recommendation as to whether it offers good value for money. Continue reading “Do Financial Regulations Decrease Financial Literacy?”
Tag: regulation
We’re Naturally Blind
In 12 Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson gets to a point that is paramount for healthy living:
“That’s how you deal with the overwhelming complexity of the world: you ignore it, while you concentrate minutely on your private concerns. You see things that facilitate your movement forward, toward your desired goals. You detect obstacles, when they pop up in your path. You’re blind to everything else (and there’s a lot of everything else—so you’re very blind). And it has to be that way, because there is much more of the world than there is of you. You must shepherd your limited resources carefully. Seeing is very difficult, so you must choose what to see, and let the rest go.”
New Payday Loan Rules: Well-Intentioned With Heavy Baggage
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) payday lending rule goes into effect next week.
Continue reading “New Payday Loan Rules: Well-Intentioned With Heavy Baggage”
Getting Internet From the Tap
Recently, I dipped my toes into the net neutrality debate. I shared an article pointing out that a graph, tweeted out by a Representative of California arguing in favor of net neutrality, ironically, makes the argument against net neutrality. This graph highlighted the perspective of the average consumer, i.e.—under net neutrality, internet services actually become more expensive. Sharing this article put me directly in the line of fire by some very passionate netizens (net neutrality advocates). Continue reading “Getting Internet From the Tap”
George Stigler: Information is Power
It is July 4th weekend coming up. Woohoo! Some of you will be traveling and doing some mini vacations somewhere. I don’t know about my plans for the 4th just yet, but I know that I am going to try and head out somewhere. As long as I escape the nation’s capital on the nation’s birthday, I’m game. Continue reading “George Stigler: Information is Power”
Slow on the Move: Prices, Technology and Rent Control
Moving to a new city, particularly in your 20s or 30s, can be a defining moment in your life. Yet people in the U.S. are moving at historically low rates, and you don’t need to look far to see why. Continue reading “Slow on the Move: Prices, Technology and Rent Control”
The Economics of the “Return Trip Effect”
Have you ever walked to a particular location, say a friend’s house, and found that the walk actually was a lot farther than you had expected, making it quite the unpleasant walk? But, you found that on the way back the walk seemed to go by much more quickly? There’s a scientific name term for this. It’s called the “return trip effect” (RTE). Continue reading “The Economics of the “Return Trip Effect””
Net Neutrality Is Back Again
The battle of who owns the internet is back at the forefront as the Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has sparked the fire with a new bill changing the rules. Continue reading “Net Neutrality Is Back Again”
Barbers: Automation vs Occupational Licensing
We continue to be on guard for industries in which workers are likely to be replaced by machines and automation. Food service and accommodations, transportation, and retail are all expected to be taken over by automated processes. Employment numbers in the manufacturing sector continue to dwindle as machines take on the bulk of the work. Continue reading “Barbers: Automation vs Occupational Licensing”
Payday Loans Filling the Void
As payday lenders and check-cashing stores continue to feel the wrath of government regulation, it’s important to understand why they exist in the first place. Continue reading “Payday Loans Filling the Void”