Monday, November 22, 2021

As inflation jumps, here's a look at how much more Americans are paying for food and fuel

 Americans are paying higher prices this year than in roughly three decades. Inflation surged 6.2% in October, paced by steep increases in heating fuel, gasoline and food, labor data showed last week.

As inflation rises, here's a closer look at the rise in costs for two major household expenses — food and fuel — that have spiked compared with a year ago ...

Read more at CBS News - 3 minute read

Monday, November 15, 2021

NFTs and Blockchain: What You Should Know About the Digital Collectibles Craze

 In March 2021, a digital image by a graphic artist known as Beeple was sold in the form of a nonfungible token, or NFT, for $69.3 million, making him the third-most-valuable living artist. This was the first sale in history by a major auction house of a purely digital work of art that doesn’t exist in physical form.1



A nonfungible token is a unique digital asset authenticated by blockchain, the underlying record-keeping technology relied upon to certify its originality and ownership. NFTs first appeared in 2018, but the market took off in 2020 and early 2021 when a flurry of digital collectibles — including images, videos, music, trading cards, sports highlights, virtual real estate in online gaming worlds, tweets, gifs, and even viral memes — were minted as NFTs and traded as assets.

Women Face Challenges in a Post-Pandemic World

 The COVID-19 economic crisis tested the mettle of all Americans, particularly working mothers. Research shows that the pandemic’s impacts on women have been far-reaching and potentially long-lasting. Now that the U.S. economy is picking up steam, it may be more important than ever for women to re-examine their retirement planning strategies.



Effects of the COVID-19 Economy

The COVID-19 recession had a disproportionate impact on working women because sectors that typically employ them — including retail, hospitality, and health care — were hit harder than others.

Net Price Calculators Help Gauge College Affordability

 Fall is the time when many high school seniors narrow their college lists and start applying to colleges. One question that is often front and center on the minds of families is “how much will it cost?” To help answer that question, you can use a net price calculator, which is available on every college website.



How a net price calculator works. A net price calculator can help families measure a specific college’s true cost by providing an estimate of how much grant aid a student might expect based on his or her financial information and academic profile. A college’s sticker price minus grant aid equals a student’s net price, or out-of-pocket cost.

The numbers quoted by a college net price calculator are not a guarantee of grant aid, but the estimates are meant to be close.