Personal finance: Klarna and personal finance
Is use of Buy Now, Pay Later a sign of stretched budgets? No. Almost all purchases are discretionary in nature, not necessities.
Demographics: World total fertility rate since 1960
The fertility rate is trending down globally since 1960.
Demographics, housing: What happened to mobile home parks?
Trailer parks/courts once provided low-cost housing options in the U.S. Since 1970, 1 in 3 trailer parks have closed.
Who invented popular programming languages?
Surprisingly, most of the major programming languages were invented by Baby Boomers, and PHP and Rust by Gen X.
Gen Z: “Choosing the soft life”
Gen Z says "Boomers had it easy" but simultaneously says they reject the work and burnout culture of their parents. A bit of a contradiction.
Demographics: Yet another US fertility rate chart
This one comes from: Social Security’s Financial Outlook: The 2025 Update in Perspective – Center for Retirement Research
Social Security was designed as a mostly “pay-as-you-go” system
In the 1980s onward, Social Security was a "pay as you go" system, about 90% funded by then current workers, who also funded the "trust fund".
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: 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.
Demographics, Education: Johns Hopkins University lowers tuition to free
Another major university to offer free tuition as the demographic collapse takes hold.