Op-Ed by Mitchell Nemeth The Internet has provided humanity with so much content that in many ways, we are overloaded with information. Our smartphones are constantly buzzing with notifications about the latest podcast upload or commercial email marketing the newest product at our favorite store. We take this for granted, but it has occurred, in part, because the Internet … [Read more...] about The Hidden Costs of Free Social Media
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Why Does the US Transit System Have a $100 Billion Maintenance Backlog?
By Chris Edwards The federal government spends $14 billion a year on subsidies for local rail and bus transit. This spending should be zeroed out in the next federal transportation bill because it induces cities to own and run monopoly transit systems that are unionized and mismanaged. Federal transit aid has mainly covered capital costs, not operations and maintenance. … [Read more...] about Why Does the US Transit System Have a $100 Billion Maintenance Backlog?
How Bringing Joy to Work Can Improve Your Life (and Save You From Burnout)
By Brooke Medina and Doug McCullough Professional success and entrepreneurship can be rewarding, but they have their limitations. Joy and ultimate meaning are too often viewed as byproducts of landing that dream job or reaching a certain income. But instead of expecting our work life to dictate our outlook, we need to flip the script. By choosing to begin each workday with a … [Read more...] about How Bringing Joy to Work Can Improve Your Life (and Save You From Burnout)
How to Find Remote Work Opportunities
By Chloe Anagnos Digital nomads use telecommunications technologies to earn a living. I’ve been working remotely since 2016 and have been a digital nomad since July 2018. I often work remotely from countries other than the United States, coffee shops, public libraries, and sometimes co-working spaces. It’s starting to become the newfound “millennial dream,” but without … [Read more...] about How to Find Remote Work Opportunities
Economic Prediction Is Harder than the Pundits Claim
By Sam Frank In the last few years, there has been a relatively well-performing economy in the United States, but we have been met with the same message every time we open the news: a recession is coming, and soon. There is always another reason as to why we are bound for a crash: the increasing deficit, inflation, the speculatively “high” market, GDP growth, you name it. … [Read more...] about Economic Prediction Is Harder than the Pundits Claim
How Healthy Pessimism Can Lead to Personal Freedom
By David Evans We all want to be happy, but we’re not terribly good at it. As a result, for centuries philosophers have wrestled with how to attain happiness. Few, though, have offered as novel an answer as Marcus Aurelius, one of Rome’s greatest emperors. Ready for it? There might be a deeper problem with how we’re pursuing happiness: We’re not focusing on the negatives … [Read more...] about How Healthy Pessimism Can Lead to Personal Freedom
6 Myths About Education and How to Deschool Yourself for Success and Satisfaction
By Kerry McDonald Most of us spent at least 15,000 hours of our childhood and adolescence being schooled before we turned 18. Now in adulthood, we may need to unlearn some of what we were taught and embrace self-education for career success and personal fulfillment. Much of what we learned in school was dictated by others, disconnected from our own passions and … [Read more...] about 6 Myths About Education and How to Deschool Yourself for Success and Satisfaction
How Regulation Wrecks Innovation
By Adam Thierer Even in an age of hyper-partisanship, people still like a good underdog story and few are better than the small start-ups taking on the giants of industry. Entrepreneurialism helps create jobs, innovations, and other economic and social opportunities. It’s a story everyone can get behind. Everybody, that is, except the incumbents and their political … [Read more...] about How Regulation Wrecks Innovation
The Golden Rule Is as Golden as Ever
By Lawrence W. Reed For three hours, the famous “standoff at the schoolhouse door” riveted the country’s attention. Alabama Governor George Wallace physically blocked the entrance to Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. His intent was to prevent two students from registering for classes. Why? It had nothing to do with the content of their … [Read more...] about The Golden Rule Is as Golden as Ever
Restaurant Chain Announces Bankruptcy, Says Minimum Wage Hikes a Key Factor
By Jon Militimore Restaurants Unlimited, a Seattle-based chain with restaurant locations in 47 US cities, announced on Sunday it was seeking Chapter 11 protection, citing “progressive” wage laws. The company, which has operated since the Lyndon Johnson Administration, said rising labor costs—part of a national trend of government-mandated minimum increases—were part of … [Read more...] about Restaurant Chain Announces Bankruptcy, Says Minimum Wage Hikes a Key Factor
How To Decode Investment Advisor Speak
By Luke F. Delorme As an investment advisor, I can’t help but sometimes fall into the trap of industry lingo. Mea culpa. This is my short list of things I hear way too often in the investment industry, and my honest translation into English. What advisors say: “Your returns were good last year because we maintained exposure to equities.” What it means: “The stock market … [Read more...] about How To Decode Investment Advisor Speak
Why the Minimum Wage Can’t Solve the Poverty Problem
By Paul Boyce If wages for those at the bottom are high, you may naturally expect low poverty rates. No matter how you define it, higher wages would most logically relieve poverty levels. This is also the argument made by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). An increase in the minimum wage may very well reduce poverty in the short-term. However, there will be adjustments. … [Read more...] about Why the Minimum Wage Can’t Solve the Poverty Problem