Economics

• Inflation ticked up in June to 2.9%, the highest level in 6 years. What does that mean for workers? (see Chart of the Week below)
• Rare earth metals, critical in production of Americans’ extra appendage (cellphones), come from China. How will the trade wars with China impact this market? 

Higher Ed and News for Recent Grads

• The state of student loan debt in words and pictures!
• Berklee College of Music finds success by bucking the trend and making its Online program a fraction of the price of the residential experience.
• Ann Carrns of the New York Times has great money advice for new college grads.
• Here is some good advice for recent grads from “Pete the Planner:” don’t become overwhelmed trying to make all those financial decisions at once.
• Unpaid internships are going away. Find out why. 
• Tech companies looking for talent turn to community colleges to train potential employees.

Investing

• We keep hearing about index funds. Here is a well-timed Buttonwood piece from the Economist for those of you reading July’s book club book on investing.
• Perhaps this Bloomberg piece on industry “quants” provides more support for investing in index funds.
• Ever heard of NOHOs? Me either. It is Jack Guttentag (the “Mortgage Professor”) uses to describe people who should NOT own homes.

Retirement

• Here is a “T-5” guide to preparing for retirement, year by year.
• If women are expected to live longer than men, they need to plan for retirement differently (and not necessarily retire when their spouse does).

Personal Interest

• Here is a summer reading list from the Personal Finance Employee Education Fund
• Our friend, Jonathan Clements, explains how to protect your human capital.
• Have you tried the new plant-based burgers that “bleed” like the meat ones do? Here is a New York Times review.  
• Coffee drinkers will find this encouraging: study links coffee drinking to longer life.  (If you have to drink decaf like me, that works too!)

Chart of the Week

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