New for/about High School Students

• I never thought cellphones in the class was a good idea, but what a battle! Here is some evidence that supports banning them. (Don’t miss the video about parents use of cell phones as well!)
• High school kids fill out all kinds of surveys trying to help them through the college/career maze ahead, unaware that their data is being sold!
• Parents may worry about their new college student succeeding away from home. Here is some advice on preparing them (like making them learn to get themselves up in the morning!).
• Colleges and Universities are gearing up for the iGen students (GenZ) now populating their campuses. It goes beyond technology and social media.

Personal Finance

• For the 20-somethings: student loan scams are on the rise. Beware!
• For gig-economy participants: Consider small town life—its cheaper!
• For women: do you need financial advice designed specifically for women?
• Something for everyone: I checked out Abnormal Returns “Personal Finance Links: Rules of Thumb” post on Wednesday, and while we don’t normally include lists, you might want to peruse this list and pull whichever link addresses something you are interested in. There are some good ones!
• Who thought investing could be free? It's true: Fidelity now offering zero-cost index funds. 

Taxes

• The new tax law is confusing, and apparently many companies are not withholding enough from our paychecks. 21% of taxpayers will owe money! Be prepared!

FinTech/Banking

• The administration is considering issuing national banking charters, which would allow fintech companies to compete more directly with banks and avoid the state-by-state regulatory process.

Market news

• Can’t let this week pass without something on the history we witnessed this week as Apple hit the $1 Trillion mark in market capitalization. Seems quite remarkable after almost facing bankruptcy twenty years ago. 

Infographic of the week: How old is your county? From our friends at the Visual Capitalist.

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