After a week hiatus while we were enjoying a long weekend to close out the summer, here is a collection of interesting things I have read this week:
Interesting perspective on how the abundance of choice in 401k plan options may be counterproductive. There was a good book written a number of years ago called “The Paradox of Choice” that argued that having too many options to choose from leads to suboptimal outcomes.
https://www.morningstar.com/articles/1057419/the-us-needs-only-one-401k-plan
Troubling news for sure, as it may indicate stressed consumers. I can’t remember when I started seeing the option on website checkout pages to finance consumer purchases, but it has been a few years. If you cannot afford to pay cash for a pair of shoes, you probably should just not buy it.
https://news.trust.org/item/20210909135950-qy1xg
I wonder how this trend will play out. Early in the pandemic, a colleague of mine relocated to a state with a lower cost of living, as well as no state income tax. Similarly, I hope to relocate away from a high cost of living area to a lower-cost one. I believe that employers that seek to adjust pay downward if employees relocate will likely find themselves unable to hire much talent at all.
And, finally, an interesting look at California’s vanishing hippie communes.
https://www.gq.com/story/californias-vanishing-hippie-utopias
Intrigued by this hippie commune piece!