Daily Economy News
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How Obama’s College Scorecard Helps (and Doesn’t)
Earlier this month, the Department of Education released a new College Scorecard which contains a variety of information about almost all U.S. colleges, including costs, graduation rates, test scores and students’ future earnings. While it is a great source of data, the Scorecard has important limitations and users should be careful when using student outcomes…
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The Unresolvable Debate on Job Creation
If you’re a political candidate, “jobs” is a word that almost guarantees applause at any rally, regardless of party. We all agree that creating and sustaining good jobs is a key priority, but we’ve had essentially the same debate on how to do it for decades. So why do we keep having the same debate? …
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New GDP Report Signals Continued Economic Growth
This morning we received word that the second-quarter Gross Domestic Product numbers were revised upward by the Commerce Department, from 3.7 percent in the prior estimate to 3.9 percent. It was the third estimate of these numbers; the initial estimate was just 2.3 percent. Consumer spending rose at a healthy pace of 3.6 percent, and…
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Maximize Social Security Benefits: File And Suspend
Fifty-two percent of married Social Security beneficiaries receive at least half their total income from Social Security. Optimizing the claiming decision is critical to making sure they maximize their income. I want to take an opportunity to explain one way to do that: the “file and suspend” strategy for married, two-earner households. This approach has…
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Learning Economics With Movie Tickets and Babysitting
Teachers who went through the AIER Teach-the-Teachers Initiative continue to dazzle us with creativity and innovative practices in their classrooms. On September 9, 2015, we observed two American History II lessons taught by Drew Gibson at Mount Greylock Regional School in Williamstown, Mass. The purpose of the lessons was defined by the teacher as “discovering…
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The Beauty of AIER’s Campus in the Berkshires
As the sun fell on a beautiful day at AIER’s campus in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, I snapped these pictures. There’s no better place to clear the mind and think about big subjects like economics than our historic campus, including the Stone House, built in the 1920’s, and our E.C. Harwood Library that overlooks…
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The Fed: December Liftoff Now Likely
The Fed didn’t take action in September, leaving short-term interest rates near zero since December 2008. This was consistent with the majority of market participants’ expectations.
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Home Internet Prices Fall, as Smartphone Use Grows
As more Americans buy more powerful smart phones that allow them to access the Internet anywhere, the price of setting up Internet service at home has dropped in the last year. The decreasing price of home internet service is one interesting bit of data from the American Institute for Economic Research’s Everyday Price Index
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Where the CPI Falls Short
The Consumer Price Index used to be a pretty good approximation for the trend in everyday prices, but it no longer is. That’s the conclusion of a new research brief by Polina Vlasenko of the American Institute for Economic Research. AIER’s Everyday Price Index, she says, is a better way to plan a household budget,…
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•
How Obama’s College Scorecard Helps (and Doesn’t)
Earlier this month, the Department of Education released a new College Scorecard which contains a variety of information about almost all U.S. colleges, including costs, graduation rates, test scores and students’ future earnings. While it is a great source of data, the Scorecard has important limitations and users should be careful when using student outcomes…
-
•
The Unresolvable Debate on Job Creation
If you’re a political candidate, “jobs” is a word that almost guarantees applause at any rally, regardless of party. We all agree that creating and sustaining good jobs is a key priority, but we’ve had essentially the same debate on how to do it for decades. So why do we keep having the same debate? …
-
•
New GDP Report Signals Continued Economic Growth
This morning we received word that the second-quarter Gross Domestic Product numbers were revised upward by the Commerce Department, from 3.7 percent in the prior estimate to 3.9 percent. It was the third estimate of these numbers; the initial estimate was just 2.3 percent. Consumer spending rose at a healthy pace of 3.6 percent, and…
-
•
Maximize Social Security Benefits: File And Suspend
Fifty-two percent of married Social Security beneficiaries receive at least half their total income from Social Security. Optimizing the claiming decision is critical to making sure they maximize their income. I want to take an opportunity to explain one way to do that: the “file and suspend” strategy for married, two-earner households. This approach has…
-
•
Learning Economics With Movie Tickets and Babysitting
Teachers who went through the AIER Teach-the-Teachers Initiative continue to dazzle us with creativity and innovative practices in their classrooms. On September 9, 2015, we observed two American History II lessons taught by Drew Gibson at Mount Greylock Regional School in Williamstown, Mass. The purpose of the lessons was defined by the teacher as “discovering…
-
•
The Beauty of AIER’s Campus in the Berkshires
As the sun fell on a beautiful day at AIER’s campus in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, I snapped these pictures. There’s no better place to clear the mind and think about big subjects like economics than our historic campus, including the Stone House, built in the 1920’s, and our E.C. Harwood Library that overlooks…
-
•
The Fed: December Liftoff Now Likely
The Fed didn’t take action in September, leaving short-term interest rates near zero since December 2008. This was consistent with the majority of market participants’ expectations.
-
•
Home Internet Prices Fall, as Smartphone Use Grows
As more Americans buy more powerful smart phones that allow them to access the Internet anywhere, the price of setting up Internet service at home has dropped in the last year. The decreasing price of home internet service is one interesting bit of data from the American Institute for Economic Research’s Everyday Price Index
-
•
Where the CPI Falls Short
The Consumer Price Index used to be a pretty good approximation for the trend in everyday prices, but it no longer is. That’s the conclusion of a new research brief by Polina Vlasenko of the American Institute for Economic Research. AIER’s Everyday Price Index, she says, is a better way to plan a household budget,…