Here's the Money Roundup as we head into the final weekend of summer! (Fall officially starts next weekend.) We hope you find these articles to be interesting and helpful.
The bond market has never sounded recession alarms for this long (Bloomberg via Yahoo). The bond market isn't buying the "soft landing" theory.
'Almost all loans are bad' — Why banks aren't lending (Wall Street Journal). Banks are becoming more selective about what they're willing to finance.
The national debt has increased by $1.5 trillion since debt ceiling was suspended 3 months ago (Charlie Bilello via X). "In the past five years, the national debt has increased by 54%." (Related from Axios: Federal deficit unexpectedly set to double this year)
Government money-market funds are hot. There's a state-tax catch. (Wall Street Journal). "Interest on government debt [typically] isn't taxable by the states. But not all federal issues qualify for this exemption."
Will you need permission to spend in retirement? (Christine Benz, Morningstar). A few strategies to "help underspenders get over the hump of tapping their investments."
A new student-loan plan promises to lower repayments. Should you make a change? (Wall Street Journal). The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan uses a repayment formula that "takes into account family size and discretionary income."
Americans are losing faith in the value of college. Whose fault is that? (New York Times Magazine via DNyuz). For many, the cost/benefit calculation has turned negative. The "leftward shift on American campuses" is also an issue.
Health care stewardship: Yes, you can fight overpriced medical bills (Marshall Allen via Samaritan Ministries). "The myth that patients have 'no choice' but to pay an...overpriced medical bill is one of the fundamental causes of skyrocketing health care costs."
Visualized: How long does it take to double your money? (Visual Capitalist). The 'rule of 72' provides a close estimate, but a logarithmic approach is more accurate.
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