Economics

• The Federal Reserve’s FOMC met this week and announced the first interest rate hike since cutting rates to zero at the start of the Covid pandemic. Read this analysis of the Fed’s current approach to battling inflation. (Slate)
• Are we headed for a recession. A Wealth of Common Sense includes lots of historical data/graphs on the subject in this discussion of the probability (inevitability) of a recession in our future.

Investing

• A Wealth of Common Sense includes lots of historical data in this piece too discussing his thoughts on a bear market.
• Institutional Investor discusses how investors have not had to deal with real inflation or geopolitical risk in decades.
• It was a rough few weeks for those watching the market. Here is a recap of this week. (Yahoo Finance)
• Nickel is trading again, but it is a bumpy road. (CNBC) For a tutorial on the nickel short squeeze behind this chaos, watch/listen to this Bloomberg interview with Jack Farchy.

Managing Credit

• The CFPB is questioning whether or not medical debt should be part of your credit report. (WAPO-subscription may be required)
• Gen Z consumers seem to be on to the perils of BNPL. (You Personal Finance teachers are doing a good job!) (Fox Business) 

Cryptocurrency

• What happens to your digital assets when you die? (Vox)

Budget

• You probably don’t need the graphics and data in this article to realize that homes are really expensive. (Political Calculations) Mortgage rates climb above 4% for the first time in three years, (Bloomberg-you can read a few articles/month for free) which won’t help.
• The Hill explains why gas prices are so high in California. This gives some insight into why they are high elsewhere too.
• We may complain about the higher price of gasoline these days, but look at the relative costs of gasoline around the world.

Source: Reddit

March Madness

• You may be shocked at the number of people and amount of money that is wagered on the NCAA tournament. (CBS News)

About the Author

Beth Tallman

Beth Tallman entered the working world armed with an MBA in finance and thoroughly enjoyed her first career working in manufacturing and telecommunications, including a stint overseas. She took advantage of an involuntary separation to try teaching high school math, something she had always dreamed of doing. When fate stepped in once again, Beth jumped on the opportunity to combine her passion for numbers, money, and education to develop curriculum and teach personal finance at Oberlin College. Beth now spends her time writing on personal finance and financial education, conducts student workshops, and develops finance curricula and educational content. She is also the Treasurer of Ohio Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.