Personal Finance

commentary

Renters' Last Chance for Pandemic Aid Before Evictions Resume

The pandemic has battered Los Angeles renters, and a new wave of pain is coming with the moratorium on evictions ending September 30. But this housing crisis doesn't have to turn into a new homelessness crisis. Californians with incomes below 80 percent of their area's median are eligible to receive funds from the COVID-19 Rent Relief program.

George Zuo @GeorgeWZuo

blog

Americans' Financial Struggles, COVID-19 Vaccinations, Virtual Schools: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Americans' ongoing financial struggles, how we can learn from the first phase of COVID-19 vaccinations, why virtual schools may be here to stay, and more.

commentary

Your Personal Information Could End Up in the Hands of Foreign Investors

If you've ever rented a property, you may have wondered what happens to the sensitive information on your application. Recent concerns over the foreign harvesting of personal information for questionable purposes should worry everyone.

Marcus Dillistone, Ryan Andrew Brown, et al.

commentary

A Tale of Two Americas

Economic pain in the United States is obvious and palpable everywhere except in the stock market. This spotlights inequality that has been increasing for decades. Undoing disparities will require firm policy commitment over many years.

Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_

commentary

From Lockdown to Locked Out: Coronavirus and the Looming Crisis in Rental Housing

Housing security is vital to individual and collective well-being. It's also a key component in the nation's economic performance. The looming coronavirus eviction crisis suggests the need to address the systemic problem of housing affordability and security now.

Alina I. Palimaru, Jason M. Ward @jason_m_ward, et al.

commentary

The Second Wave of COVID Consequences

Economists closely watch measures of consumer confidence because they are highly predictive economic indicators. New consumer data reveals likely long-term and prolonged economic fallout.

Kathryn A. Edwards, Jeffrey B. Wenger

blog

Shutdown, Hezbollah, Border Wall: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Americans' financial fragility, Hezbollah in Venezuela, assessing the effectiveness of a border wall, and more.

commentary

What the Shutdown Revealed About the Fragility of American Life

The government shutdown highlighted the lack of resilience many suffer from when they encounter unexpected economic events. The median American family has been losing ground for decades. Policy responses to address this situation will be complex and difficult, but are much needed.

Krishna B. Kumar @kbkumar_

commentary

What Keeps Millennials Awake at Night Could Change Over Time

Millennials are less worried than baby boomers about national security topics and more worried about kitchen table issues, such as making ends meet each month and paying off debts. But this may have less to do with the fact that they are millennials and more to do with the fact that millennials are young.

Marek N. Posard @mnposard, Jennifer Kavanagh, et al.

commentary

Is College Worth the Expense? Yes, It Is

Many American students struggle with the soaring cost of higher education. And for many college students, debt can have severe negative implications. But on balance, the benefits of a college degree appear to outweigh the costs.

Rafiq Dossani

commentary

We Still Know Little About Financial Well-Being

There is a clear link between UK employees being concerned about their finances and negative health and well-being. The challenge for researchers is that financial well-being is hard to measure.

Marco Hafner, Christian Van Stolk

commentary

Trends in Inequality and the World's Eight Richest Men

While Oxfam reports have done a good job of bringing attention to the problem of inequality, they may lead the public and policymakers to believe that global inequality has been rising instead of falling. Global inequality has actually been on the decline while inequality within the developed world is increasing.

Ernesto F. L. Amaral, Carter C. Price @CarterCPrice

commentary

Book Review: 'Bourgeois Equality'

In Bourgeois Equality, economist and historian Deirdre McCloskey advances the theory that ideas — not capital, institutions, innovation, R&D, tax policy, monetary policy, or regulatory policy — are the propelling force behind economic and societal growth.

Charles Wolf, Jr.

commentary

You're Never Too Young to Plan for Retirement

Saving early for retirement is critical, but it's also important to stay on track during job changes. Younger workers tend to change jobs often, and if they cash out of their plans with each position, that can affect their long-term savings.

Jeremy Burke, Angela A. Hung

commentary

Fixing Inequality of Opportunity

Research has fueled concerns about how income inequality drives inequality of opportunity. Commonsense approaches such as improvements in education and access to quality health care have been shown to provide young people with better opportunities.

Carter C. Price @CarterCPrice

commentary

Zero Interest, Greater Inequality?

Low interest rates mandated by the Federal Reserve may have had and possibly continue to have adverse effects on income inequality. Those who argue for continuing near-zero short-term interest rate policy should be cognizant of this.

Charles Wolf, Jr.

commentary

Do Young 'Elites' Favor Income Redistribution?

Young 'elites' -- employed Americans who are 40 or younger, with high household incomes and graduate degrees -- and especially Democratic elites have a strong preference for income redistribution.

Michael S. Pollard @MichaelSPollard, Katherine Grace Carman @KGCarman

commentary

Paying People to Change Behaviour in the UK: Lessons from Latin America

Policymakers in Western countries seeking new policy levers to tackle costly lifestyle behaviors in the age of austerity may do well to take up programs based on cash incentives. Recent analysis of conditional payment programs in Latin America highlights some useful lessons.

Christian Van Stolk

commentary

Growth Versus Equality: Striking the Right Balance

There's a difficult trade-off between income equality and the growth that comes from successful innovation. But one doesn't have to overwhelm the other.

Charles Wolf, Jr.

commentary

New Survey Data Indicates Increasing Polarization in the Ways Democrats and Republicans View the Role of Government in Reducing Income Inequality

Today, Democrats are more than six times likelier than Republicans to believe the U.S. government should play a role in reducing income inequality. This is not due to differences in age, gender, education, or income distributions among the two parties.

Katherine Grace Carman @KGCarman, Michael S. Pollard @MichaelSPollard

commentary

Understanding the Affordable Care Act

One of the chief aims of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the expansion of insurance coverage to individuals who at present either cannot afford it or choose not to purchase it. Unfortunately, many Americans lack the financial literacy needed to navigate the numerous and complex options thrust upon them by the ACA.

Sebastian Bauhoff, Katherine Grace Carman @KGCarman, et al.