Economics

• The biggest Economics news this week was the persistently high inflation. The CPI was up 7.5% year-over-year in January, the highest since 1982. (AP)  This CNBC article includes a graph and discusses unemployment claims as well. What does this cost the average person in a month? (WSJ-subscription required) And since used car prices have been rising so fast, is your used car worth more than you think (or more than you paid for it?) (WSJ-subscription required.)
• Corporate Economists discuss what they think the inflation data means. (Yahoo Finance), and there is much speculation as to what the Fed will or won’t do re: interest rates at their March FOMC meeting. (Yahoo Finance2)
• Here is a fun interactive from the Economist: The Big Mac Index gives the cost of a Big Mac across the globe, and you can compare any two countries versus exchange rates to make inferences about relative cost of living.

Investing

• What was the market response to the inflation results? (CNN)
• A Wealth of Common Sense dives into the question of whether or not the pandemic actually helped many of the apparent pandemic winners.

Crypto, NFTs, online gambling, oh my!

• Read about the mostly young white male world behind the gamification of money. (Vox)
• For another thought-provoking piece, try this article from the Atlantic about the backlash building against “Web3.”
• Will real estate be the next thing to be sold as NFT’s, or will real estate law get in the way? (TampaBay)
• Read about the couple arrested for laundering the $3.6 billion of hacked bitcoin. (WaPo – subscription may be required, CNN)

Taxes

• It is tax season once again, and the IRS has announced four Saturdays when it will be offering face-to-face help. This article explains what to expect, and enables you to locate where this service will be offered. (Investopedia)

Financial Literacy

• Here is a new book by Jake Cousineau for young adults on “How to Adult.” Check out the description here and see if you want to add it to your library. (PRNewsWire)

Super Bowl

• How much will people bet on Sunday’s super bowl? (AP)
• How much do super bowl ads cost this year? (FoxBusiness)( See Also updated QOD on this topic)

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.