Personal Finance: Spending priorities lean to “looking hot”
No one has any money but they have plenty to spend on looking hot, $2k+/year just on cosmetics.
Economy
Energy
Environment
Finance
Gen Z/Generational issues
Geopolitics
Health-Healthcare
Innovation
Innovative/Creative
Personal finance
Policy/Government
Public Health/Nutrition
Science
Economy: Should billionaires be forced to give away all wealth to the government?
Bill Gates has donated over $200 billion to charitable causes, WHO, foundations, research, drug discovery, education and more.
Generations: Gen Z spends hundreds per month on “treats”
Many lack understanding of money or personal finance. Wealth is created by earning, saving and investing - not by spending.
Economy: What % of Gen Z vs Boomers lived at home at similar ages?
While more Gen Z "live at home" vs Boomers, half of the increase is because about 3x more Gen Z go to college than did the Boomer generation.
Economy: How efficiency reduced railroad crew sizes
As automation and improved systems were deployed, railroad crews went from about 12-16 per train in the 1950s, to just 1 or 2 crew members in 2025.
Pensions versus self-funded retirement
In the 1980s, 70% of retirees had a pension. Today it is less than 20%. In the '70s, Congress created IRA and 401(k) accounts to encourage self funded retirement savings.
Economy, Government: Federal employment since 1990
The news has buried the change in Federal employment over time. Clinton significantly reduced head count, Bush and Biden significantly increased headcount.
Average number of vehicles per household 1970 vs 2025
We went from 1.16 vehicles per household in 1970 to 1.88 in 2025. The % with 1 vehicle went down, and the % with 2 or more went up.
Per capita food spending in the U.S.
Americans spend more money going out to eat and having food delivered to their homes.