Today is the official start of the biggest retail push of the year. If you are reading this, you either have already braved the Black Friday crowds (or shopped last night), or you are giving it a pass and shopping online.  In any event, the crowds are expected to be a bit less chaotic this year (CBS).

Here is a look at how online shopping and delivery are changing the world (IMO, not for the better):

• The Guardian discusses everything from the explosion of warehouses to environmental impact on trees and pollution.
• The NYT discusses the impact of delivering 1.5 million packages daily in New York City (traffic jams, pollution and waste.)
• The Atlantic looks at the online shopping world through the eyes of a journalist turned Amazon delivery person.
• And finally, a fascinating but also horrifying look at how a company called Powerfront tracks your online shopping movements, analyzes that data and packages it for its customers (retailers, mostly luxury). (NYT)

FinTech

• Knowledge@Wharton brings an interview (podcast or print) with the BankMobile co-founder Luvleen Sidhu on the rapid growth of FinTech and how it is changing the banking world.

Economics

• Did you read Thomas Piketty’s Capital In The 21^st Centruy when it was a NYT bestseller in 2014? Were you waiting for the movie version? Well, the wait is over. (Worth.com)
• Here are some numbers supporting what we already “know” about the generational wealth gaps. (CBS)
• Several related articles popped up recently discussing the issues baby boomers will have selling their homes when the time comes (no one to buy them) (Business Insider), and how it is actually the boomers who are driving the urban apartment crunch (Curbed).

Investing

• This WSJ (subscription) article has a great graphic in it demonstrating the loss of over $100 billion in value among silicon valley unicorns.
• Here is a follow-up article on the proposed Scwab/TD Ameritrade merger and all the issues it would raise. (WAPO)

Paying for College

• What can schools do to help their students stay in school? Many are living a very delicate balance between work and school, and one bad break may knock them over the edge. University of Akron has found a way. (Akron Beacon Journal)

Retirement

• Women need to plan well (and differently then men) for retirement. (Yahoo Finance)

Parenting

• Of course, as financial educators, we are on top of teaching our kids about money, so we may already follow these guidelines, but couldn’t hurt to look this list over and see if you agree, or share the list with your students’ parents. (CNBC)

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