At more than $2 trillion, the cost of the March 2020 CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act was double what we spent on Social Security in 2019. As a pandemic relief package, CARES Act checks were directed toward…
What Makes a Snow Shoveler Smile?
Monday, in Morris County, New Jersey we got approximately 24 inches of snow. NOAA shows us who was hardest hit. My home, where the arrow points, is shaded in darker orange: At 20 to 30 inches rather than the usual…
Why It’s Tough to Turn Around a Big Ship
Large container ships can carry approximately 22,000 boxes called TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units). Above, the vessel in our featured image has 15,000 containers. In just one of them, you can add 48,000 bananas to the global supply chain. Or, imagine…
Why College Tuitions Are Up and Other Prices Are Down
It’s tough to find a real “list price” for a college tuition. According to NY Times money columnist Ron Lieber, the price charged by one school can vary considerably. Sort of like we all pay a different fare for the…
How Do You Spend a Stimulus Check?
Several months ago we looked at how recipients spent the money they received from the March 27 CARES Act. Now, with a new NY Fed survey that is more up-to-date, we can predict the response to the Biden proposal for…
How to Pay For a $1.9 Trillion Package
Through massive pandemic aid, the 2020 CARES Act ballooned the federal deficit. With spending far exceeding revenue, the difference was $2.8 trillion: Now, President-elect Biden has proposed a new $1.9 trillion relief package. It includes payments to Americans who…
Grading Global Economic Health
Last month, the World Economic Forum (WEF) published its Global Competitiveness Report. The topics are broad and the questions are varied. Based on Executive Opinion Surveys from 126 economies, the answers are supposed to provide insight about short and long…
What a Disaster Can Cost Us
Looking at the past, we can plan for the future by being able to quantify disaster costs that range from hurricanes to drought.
How Covid Changed The Cost of Living
Changing the worldwide cost of living is one of the countless ways that the pandemic has impacted our daily lives.
Why the Same $600 Stimulus Check Is Really Different
Instead of per capita income, we can compare U.S. states’ standard of living and wind up with different results.