Good morning, Apexians. We’re back with more of the best money stories from around the web.
First up, yet another look at the so-called education premium. Study after study shows the same thing: the more you learn, the more you earn. It’s not even a contest.
Average net worth by age and education level. [Of Dollars and Data] — “The good news is that, while comparing yourself to others in this way can be useful for helping you to stay on track, net worth is not the be-all and end-all of personal finance. Because the most important metric in personal finance is whether your money is allowing you to live the life that you truly want.” The education premium is real — and it’s spectacular.
Americans are drinking more alcohol during the coronavirus crisis. [Vox] — “The coronavirus pandemic has lessened the stigma of drinking alone, and of drinking, period. Americans are buying more alcohol, and it’s not just to stock up for the next few weeks or months.” For the first month of this, my alcohol consumption was down. (Actually, it’s been down all year.) But for the past week? Uh…yeah, I’ve been drinking a lot.
Do people become more selfless as they age? [The Conversation] — “Older adults do not just act like they are nicer people, which might easily be driven by selfish motives such as making it more likely that they will be remembered fondly once they are gone. Rather, the fact that their reward areas are so much more responsive to experiencing people in need being helped suggests that they are actually, on average, kinder and genuinely more interested in the welfare of others than everyone else.”
City climate dopplegangers. [City Projections] — “Find your city’s climate doppleganger: Search for a city and find cities around the world with similar climates (try searching by country and selecting the nearest city if your city is not found).”
Last of all is today’s video — and for once, it’s actually about money! Here’s the full-length (nearly 2-1/2 hour) 2004 documentary from Alain de Botton: Status Anxiety. It’s all about keeping up with the Joneses.
That’s it for Thursday. I’ll be back tomorrow to see you into the weekend…