Two Cents

The fundamental misconception about car leases is that they work like other rental agreements, like for apartments or furniture. They don't. Cars are a unique asset for one ugly reason: depreciation. Nothing costs so much yet loses value so fast as a car and lease agreements are designed to account for that. So is leasing a car worth it? Let’s run the numbers!

Home improvement industry is worth about 333 BILLION dollars and it’s expected to grow to over 500 billion by 2028. So, what sort of improvements really give you the most bang for your buck?

HOA, or Homeowner's Association is a self-governing board that oversees a community of homeowners, whether in single-family homes, townhouses, or condos. HOAs are funded by monthly dues collected from all members, and exist to keep property values high. The main ways they do this are by offering amenities and enforcing restrictions. Well sometimes restrictions can restrict your way of life.

Each year almost a million people from around the world immigrate to the US in search of a better future. But one thing that first generation Americans find out pretty quickly is that immigration can come with a bunch of unexpected costs.

A common complaint that math teachers hear is, "When am I going to need this in the real world?" When you're sitting in algebra class, it's easy to feel like it's all theoretical–a bunch of imaginary numbers and rules dreamed up by philosophers trying to prove to each other how smart they were. But the origins of math are deeply practical. So how did Money create Math?

Buy Now Pay Later loans are one the hottest new trends in the world of financial technology, touted as a less risky alternative to credit cards. Using one of several major apps, you're only asked for a fraction of the price at the point of sale, and the rest is paid off in a few biweekly installments. Sounds too good to be true - that's because it is!

Critics of fast fashion have long detailed the industry’s environmental costs and unsavory labor practices. But Americans still spend an average of $1,700 per year on cheap new clothes. So how did fashion start cycling through our wardrobes and our wallets so fast?

You're paying a secret tax every year... not just to the government, but also to your insurance company, your phone provider, even your employer!

It's been called the Great Resignation and it refers to an unprecedented spike in Americans voluntarily leaving their jobs in early 2021. Restaurant employers aware of the dilemma are putting their faith in technology as the magic solution. QR codes, online menus, phone payments, robot servers, anything that can cut down the number of humans on staff is being implemented. But is this a solution?

The last time we had inflation this bad in the U.S. was the 1970s--and it was much, much worse. Could history repeat itself?