Better living through better policy.

Category: Economic Opportunity

The Real Story Behind What’s “Inside” Your 401(k)

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date December 17, 2025
No Comments on The Real Story Behind What’s “Inside” Your 401(k)

Why collective investment trusts deliver lower costs without sacrificing fiduciary protections.

Tags 401(k), Asset Allocation, Capital Markets, Collective Investment Trusts (CITs), Cost Efficiency, Defined Contribution Plans, Department of Labor (DOL), Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans, Excessive Fee Litigation, Expense Ratios, Fiduciary Duty, financial inclusion, Financial Journalism, financial regulation, Financial Services Policy, Independent Auditors, Institutional Investing, Investment Choice, Investment Fees, Investment Oversight, Investment Transparency, Investor Education, Investor Protection, Jason Zweig, Legal Risk, Liquidity Management, Long-Term Investing, Market-Based Retirement Solutions, Mutual Funds, Plan Fiduciaries, Plan Sponsors, Portfolio Diversification, Private Assets, Private Credit, Private Equity, Regulatory Risk, Retirement Litigation, Retirement Plan Costs, Retirement Plan Governance, Retirement Planning, Retirement Policy, Retirement Reform, Retirement Savings, Retirement Security, Risk-Adjusted Returns, Target-Date Funds, Target-Date Investing, Third-Party Valuation, Trial Lawyers, Valuation Standards, Wall Street Journal, Wealth Building, Workplace Retirement

Conservatism Courts Crime and Justice Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion The Constitution Top Issues Trade Updates

DC Journal: Trump’s Tariffs Are Changing How Consumers Use Credit

Post author By Lucas J. Parker
Post date December 15, 2025
1 Comment on DC Journal: Trump’s Tariffs Are Changing How Consumers Use Credit

Tariffs and credit price controls are squeezing American families From both sides.

Tags Bipartisan Policy Failure, BNPL Loans, Buy Now Pay Later, Consumer Credit, Consumer Finance, Consumer Prices, Consumption Tax, Cost Of Credit, Cost Of Living, credit access, Credit Availability, Credit Card Debt, Credit Markets, Credit Shortages, Debt Reliance, Economic Freedom, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Federal Policy, Financial Inclusivity, Financial Literacy, financial regulation, Financial Stability, Free Market Economics, Government Intervention, Hidden Taxes, Household Debt, Inflation, Inflationary Pressure, Interest Rate Caps, Lending Caps, Lending Regulation, Market Distortion, Market-Based Solutions, Middle-Class Households, Personal Finance, Populism, Price Controls, Regressive Taxes, Regulatory Overreach, Small Loan Lending, Small-Dollar Loans, Stagflation, Subprime Credit, Tariffs, Trade Policy, Trade War, Working-Class Families

Conservatism Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Transparency and Accountability Housing Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Technology Top Issues Updates

The CFPB’s Open Banking Mandate Is About to Break Rent

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date December 15, 2025
1 Comment on The CFPB’s Open Banking Mandate Is About to Break Rent

The CFPB’s open banking mandate, the 1033 rule, poses a critical risk to America’s rent payments.

Colorado Conservatism Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Illinois Life Markets and Finance New Mexico Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Transparency Updates

Buried in Bias

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date December 12, 2025
1 Comment on Buried in Bias

The Center for Responsible Lending’s “Buried in Debt” report fails as policy analysis.

Tags Alternative Financial Services, Amortization Schedules, Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Banking Fees, Bolen Elliehausen Miller Study, Buried In Debt Report, Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), consumer choice, Consumer Credit Policy, Consumer Lending Research, Consumer Welfare, Cost Of Living Crisis, credit access, Credit Bureau Data, Credit Denial Rates, Credit Market Regulation, Credit Rationing, Credit Stacking, Credit Supply Constraints, Deep-Subprime Borrowers, Difference-In-Differences Analysis, Economic Opportunity, Evidence-Based Policymaking, Financial Hardship, financial inclusion, Financial Literacy, financial regulation, Financial Services Policy, Free Market Finance, Housing Cost Burden, Income Volatility, Interest Rate Caps, Loan Availability, Loan Disclosures, Market Distortion, Mortgage Finance, No Loan For You, No Loan For You!, Overdraft Fees, Payday Lending, Poverty And Inequality, Price Controls, Regulatory Economics, Regulatory Harm, Risk-Based Pricing, Selection Bias, Small-Dollar Credit Research, Small-Dollar Loans, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Subprime Borrowers, Substitute Financial Products, Survivorship Bias, Too!, Total Cost Of Credit, Usury Laws

Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Education Freedom and Reform Government Regulation Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Transparency Updates

The Need to Modernize Financial Literacy in Uncertain Economic Times

Post author By Lucas J. Parker
Post date December 6, 2025
1 Comment on The Need to Modernize Financial Literacy in Uncertain Economic Times

A modernized financial-literacy framework must equip students with practical, real-world tools to navigate an increasingly complex and often predatory consumer-finance landscape.

Tags Amortization Schedules, Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Consumer Finance, Consumer Protection, Credit Market Instruction, Credit Policy Impacts, Credit Scoring Education, Credit-Market Case Studies, Debt Management Education, Decision-Making Skills, Economic Mobility, Financial Curriculum Redesign, Financial Education Reform, Financial Independence For Students, Financial Literacy, Financial Technology (Fintech) Education, High School Curriculum Modernization, High-Cost Credit Products, Household Debt Burden, Industry Practitioner Insights, Lending Transparency, Loan Scenarios, Long-Term Mortgage Misalignment, Mortgage Interest Accrual, Opportunity Cost Understanding, Payday Loan Risks, Predatory Lending Awareness, Real-World Financial Skills, Regulatory Environment, Risk Assessment Training, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Student Financial Outcomes, Youth Financial Preparedness

Budget and Spending Conservatism Courts Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Spending Housing Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Progressivism Public Opinion Reports Technology Top Issues Updates

Report: 1033 Error, Rule Not Sound

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date November 24, 2025
2 Comments on Report: 1033 Error, Rule Not Sound

The CFPB’s open-banking mandate endangers consumers.

Tags Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Authorized Third Parties, Banks And Credit Unions, Chevron Deference, Comparison Shopping Tools, Consumer Data Access, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Consumer Protection Policy, Credit Karma, Cybersecurity Risks, Data Breach Risks, Data Governance, Data Monetization, Data Portability, Data Privacy Frameworks, Data Security, Data Sharing Agreements, Digital Financial Platforms, Dodd-Frank Act, Economic Freedom, Federal Court Injunction, Financial Compliance, Financial Data Aggregators, Financial Data Ecosystem, Financial Data Exchange (FDX), Financial Fraud Prevention, Financial Innovation, Financial Institutions, Financial Market Stability, Financial Privacy, Financial Regulation Reform, Financial Services Policy, financial technology, Financial Transparency, Fintech Regulation, Free Market Policy, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Lead Generators, Lending Tree, Liability Asymmetry, Loper Bright Decision, Major Questions Doctrine, Market-Based Innovation, Meta Fraud Report, National Security Risks, NerdWallet, Open Banking, Personal Financial Data Rights Rule, Plaid Data Connections, Price Controls, Regulatory Compliance, Regulatory Overreach, Rohit Chopra, Screen Scraping, Section 1033, Statutory Authority Limits, Third-Party Data Access, Trump Administration Rulemaking, Voluntary Industry Standards

Conservatism Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Government Spending Infrastructure & Technology Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Transparency Updates

The Death Knell for Elizabeth Warren’s CFPB

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date November 19, 2025
No Comments on The Death Knell for Elizabeth Warren’s CFPB

Trump’s CFPB reset offers hope for reform, but state attorneys general are already building a fragmented and punitive new regulatory regime

Conservatism Culture Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Housing Legal and Judicial Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Progressivism Public Opinion Top Issues Updates

Fox News: Trump’s 50-year mortgage just introduces a new kind of debt

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date November 17, 2025
No Comments on Fox News: Trump’s 50-year mortgage just introduces a new kind of debt

50-year loan terms would triple total debt while government regulations continue driving up building costs

Conservatism Culture Cybersecurity Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Infrastructure & Technology Legal and Judicial Markets and Finance Political Thought Public Opinion Security Technology Top Issues Updates

RealClearMarkets: Stablecoin Rewards Are the Shortcut to Financial Trouble

Post author By Patrick M. Brenner
Post date November 12, 2025
No Comments on RealClearMarkets: Stablecoin Rewards Are the Shortcut to Financial Trouble

Why should Congress uphold the GENIUS Act’s ban on stablecoin rewards to prevent digital money from becoming digital debt?

Conservatism Culture Debt Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Housing Infrastructure & Technology Life Markets and Finance Political Thought Poverty & Welfare Poverty and Inequality Public Opinion Reports Top Issues Transparency Updates

Report: The Case Against 50-Year Mortgages

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date November 8, 2025
2 Comments on Report: The Case Against 50-Year Mortgages

How will Washington’s housing “fix” entrench debt, inflate prices, and undermine the American Dream?

Tags 50-Year Mortgage, Abrazos Homes, Affordable Housing, Annual Percentage Rate (APR), Bill Pulte, Building Permits, Central Planning, Construction Costs, Consumer Price Index (CPI), Donald Trump, Economic Policy, Fannie Mae, Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Federal Reserve, financial regulation, Freddie Mac, Government Subsidies, Home Builders, Homeownership, Housing Affordability, Housing Policy, Housing Supply, Immigration Policy, Inflation, Jerome Powell, Mackenzie Bishop, Mortgage Market, Mortgage Rates, Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS), Patrick M. Brenner, Property Taxes, Real Estate Market, Red Tape, Skilled Trades, Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI), Sticky Inflation, Tariffs, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Truth in Lending Act (TILA), Zoning Reform

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