This week’s news items focus on inflation (again) as December CPI was released, investing, personal finance and careers, with a few podcasts and videos you might want to check out.

Economics

• December CPI came in exactly where it was expected to: down 0.1%. For all of the numbers, check out the BLS press release. For top-line analysis, read or listen to the CNBC coverage of the announcement. For more detailed analysis and what’s next for the Fed, try the Washington Post article (subscription may be required)
• Eggs, however, are still expensive and getting more so. (APNews)
• This NYT article includes some great insights and details on how the Fed is grappling with measuring and predicting inflation in such a transitional time in our economy.

Investing

• The meme stock craze didn’t really help anyone. (Fast Company)  (see graph below)
• And just how badly are the banks doing? After predicting gloom and doom, JP Morgan, Wells Fargo and Bank of America reported fourth quarter earnings above expectations. (MarketWatch)
• Goldman Sachs is laying off 3000+ employees as they are seeing parts of their business suffer. (Reuters)

Personal Finance

• Michelle Singletary outlines the bad money habits you should commit to avoiding in 2023. (Washington Post-subscription may be required)
• A Yougov.com survey breaks down just how much Americans have in savings.

Career

• Comprehensive took a look at job postings in California and New York, where it is now required to include a salary range, and pulled together ranges for a variety of tech jobs.
• Last year we heard a lot about “quiet quitting.” Now a new term has arisen: “Quiet Thriving.” (Washington Post-subscription may be required)
• It would be interesting to see the calculations behind this decision, but Home Depot changed how it calculates pay from rounding up/down to the nearing 15 minutes to paying for the EXACT number of minutes worked. (Reuters)  It will be exact, but will employees or the employer benefit more?

Podcasts/Videos of Interest This Week

• Regardless of what age you teach, economics lessons can be found in a number of children’s books. This Planet Money episode features a third grade teacher who uses books to teach her students about economics, and Planet Money visited her classroom with other books suggested by economists.
• Along similar lines, another Planet Money episode discusses using “It’s a Wonderful Life,” to introduce bank runs.
• Economics Professor Abdullah Al Bahrani uses behavioral economics to explain why new year’s resolutions fail. (10-minute video)

About the Author

Beth Tallman

Beth Tallman entered the working world armed with an MBA in finance and thoroughly enjoyed her first career working in manufacturing and telecommunications, including a stint overseas. She took advantage of an involuntary separation to try teaching high school math, something she had always dreamed of doing. When fate stepped in once again, Beth jumped on the opportunity to combine her passion for numbers, money, and education to develop curriculum and teach personal finance at Oberlin College. Beth now spends her time writing on personal finance and financial education, conducts student workshops, and develops finance curricula and educational content. She is also the Treasurer of Ohio Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.