Investing

• Investors love index and target date funds. The criticism comes from all angles, probably because they are so popular. (Morningstar)
  • (If you want to brush up on what target date funds are, and what they aren’t, read this HumbleDollar article.)
• Did the market gains this week mean we've hit bottom, or was this one of those “teaser rallies” we have seen in the past? Data lovers will enjoy this one from Of Dollars And Data.

Economics

• Today’s economy is very different than it was in periods preceding past recessions, so forecasting the next recession may be tricky. (The Economist)
• JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon is issuing his own (economic) hurricane warning (CNN).
• Jerome Powell met with President Biden this week to discuss inflation. This in an intentionally rare event, as Fed policy is made independent of influence from the President. (Biden reaffirmed that.) (AP) 
• This NYT article (subscription may be required) is a bit of a longer read, but looks at the relationship between market concentration, corporate profits and inflation.
• Here is an interesting view inside the largest US companies and what they pay their workers. (WSJ-subscription may be required)

Labor Market

• Job openings in the US fell by almost half a million in April, but the labor market is still stronger than it has been in decades. (CNBC)
• With the labor market so tight, teens have their choice of jobs this summer (and should be taking advantage of this!) (NYT-subscription may be required)
• Unemployment claims dropped this past week to the lowest level since 1969. (Reuters)
• May jobs report: 390,000 new jobs and unemployment at 3.6%. Get all the details from the BLS here. 

Budgeting

• Lending Club released the findings from its 10^th edition of its Reality Check survey, revealing that a shocking ½ of those earning over r$250,000 are living paycheck to paycheck. (PRNewsWire)
• Oil refineries are the key to the current gas price situation. (Grid)

Paying for College

• Parent Plus loans are making the racial wealth gap worse. (Inside Higher Ed)
• The Department of Education is going to forgive all outstanding loans made to students who attended now defunct for-profit Corinthian Colleges. That covers 560,000 borrowers and $5.8 billion. (NYT-subscription may be required) (CBS) (Dept of Ed)

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.

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