Quote of the week:

In today’s world, information is cheap; meaning is expensive. [Bob Seawright]

• On the issue of sustainability front, Starbucks looking to save 6 billion cups from the waste stream. Their current to-go cup is difficult to recycle (audio from PRI).
• Yes, at some point, all good things must come to an end and we will have a recession again. Vanguard attaches some probabilities to it coming in 2020 in this NY Times piece. 
• Ever wonder why your students (and maybe you too?) always want to sit in the same seats? Find your answer here from Quartz. It might even contribute to an "optimal learning environment for them."
• We know that we all have cognitive biases...can we hope to overcome them? This is a long read from the Atlantic but worth it as it pits two leading behavioral finance experts against one another. Also has a couple of interesting brainteasers to perplex your students. 
• How did cord-cutting become a thing? Who are the suspects driving the "creative destruction" the once-cozy cable business? Bloomberg weighs in.
• Should companies only be accountable to shareholders? Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren weighs in in a WSJ op-ed. 
• Is there a best/safest way to set up automatic payments on your checking account (Cleveland.com)?
• Another school offering students an income share agreement as alternative to taking out student debt (CBS News). Do you think this will catch on?

A few charts caught my attention:

• Visual Capitalist provides a good historical view of the stock market (S&P 500), the impact of historical events and this phenomenon called volatility. Check out the bars at the bottom of the graph which shows the symmetry in the number of +2% days in the market (716) and number of -2% days (785) as well as 1% days. It's message: avoid the noise of daily volatility and focus on the upward trending line. 

• Yes, stocks are risky but cash is trash for long-term returns. Here's a chart showing the growth of $5,500 parked in IRA every year for 42 years and how the outcomes vary between stocks and cash (from Investor's Business Daily):

About the Authors

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

More posts by Tim