The Complacent Class (Episode 1/5) Compare today to the 1950s. At that time, a typical apartment in New York City rented for about $60 per month, or, adjusting for inflation, about $530 a month. … Or to put that 1950s rent in perspective, the U.S. median wage at that time was about $5,000 a year, … Read more
2. The only true sign of a bottom is a price low enough so that you could rent out the house and make a profit. Then you’ll know it’s pretty safe to buy for yourself because then rent could cover the mortgage and ownership expenses if necessary, eliminating most of your risk. The basic buying … Read more
Over the years our average income has been less than $30,000 (including my husband’s Navy salary and all allowances, plus my spotty freelance income). In less than seven years we saved $49,000, made significant investment purchases (vehicles, appliances, furniture) of $38,000, and were completely debt free! That is an annual savings/investment rate of over $12,500 … Read more
Clarke and Dawe – Quantitative Easing Courses Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing Custom Training Congressional Operations Poster, with Federal Budget Process Flowchart Federal Budgeting, a Five-Course series on CD Congress, the Legislative Process, and the Fundamentals … Read more
Clarke and Dawe – European Debt Crisis Also see Federal Debt; Budget Deficit / Budget Surplus; Date Shifting / Fiscal Transparency / Fiscal Illusion; Public Debt / Debt Ceiling; “We Don’t Want Your Clunkers“. Courses Congressional Operations Briefing – Capitol Hill Workshop Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments Writing for Government and … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Unemployment Rate / Employment-Population Ratio Unemployment and the Unemployment Rate As defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of people who do not have jobs but have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks and are currently available … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Budget Deficit / Budget Surplus Lesson 1 National Debt & Budget Deficit Explained The relationship between spending and revenues is reflected in the surplus or deficit figure. A surplus is an excess of revenues over outlays, while a deficit is an excess of … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Deflation / Inflation / Real Dollar Whip Inflation Now (WIN) Deflation: A sustained decrease in the general price level. Deflator: An index used to adjust a current dollar amount to its real dollar counterpart, that is, to remove the effects of inflation. Inflation: A rise … Read more
For the past four years, I’ve been ordering the most unappatizing sounding item on the menu when I eat at nice restaurants. This counterintuitive advice from Tyler Cowen’s 2007 book Discover Your Inner Economist has worked surprisingly well. Cowen’s newest book, An Economist Gets Lunch, is a combination of practical eating advice like this, and … Read more
From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Governmental Receipts photo credit: ben_osteen Collections from the public based on the government’s exercise of its sovereign powers, including individual and corporate income taxes and social insurance taxes, excise taxes, duties, court fines, compulsory licenses, and deposits of earnings by the Federal Reserve System. Gifts … Read more