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Compounding Interest: The Case Against the Confused Case Against the Case Against 30-Year Mortgages

In his letter responding to my column in The Wall Street Journal, “The Case Against 30-Year Mortgages,” former Freddie Mac executive David Andrukonis defends the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage as a transparent, borrower-friendly product. In “A Confused Case Against 30-Year Mortgages,” he argues that such loans are fully prepayable, giving homeowners flexibility to refinance or pay […]

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Culture Debt Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Housing Markets and Finance Political Thought Public Opinion Reader Replies Transparency

Compounding Interest: Reader Replies, Part IV

When you publish in The Wall Street Journal, you have to expect a few readers to come out swinging. Some disagree on principle; others on tone. And then there are those who lecture you like you just flunked Econ 101. Read the full series here. Meet Jay Wright, Adjunct Professor of Finance at Georgetown University. […]

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Culture Debt Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Housing Markets and Finance Political Thought Public Opinion Reader Replies Transparency

Compounding Interest: Reader Replies, Part III

The responses to my article for The Wall Street Journal “The Case Against 30-Year Mortgages” keep coming… They’re thoughtful, challenging, and occasionally humbling. What started as a critique of an outdated lending standard has evolved into a larger conversation about financial literacy, honesty in measurement, and the way we misunderstand the true cost of money. […]

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Culture Debt Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Housing Markets and Finance Political Thought Public Opinion Reader Replies Transparency

Compounding Interest: Reader Replies, Part II

When The Wall Street Journal published my op-ed, “The Case Against 30-Year Mortgages,” I expected disagreement. What I didn’t expect was the flood of thoughtful, funny, and occasionally fiery responses from readers across the country. Read the full series here. Some wrote to debate, others to commiserate, and a few to wonder aloud whether the […]

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Culture Debt Domestic Policy Economic Opportunity Economy Government Regulation Housing Markets and Finance Political Thought Public Opinion Reader Replies Transparency

Compounding Interest: Reader Replies, Part I

After my recent op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, “The Case Against 30-Year Mortgages,” readers had plenty to say. Some were critical, most were kind, and many brilliantly insightful. Below is a selection of responses, shared anonymously for privacy, that reveal how deeply Americans feel about the strange alchemy of homeownership, debt, and the illusion […]

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American Banker: President-elect Trump should declare a ceasefire in the war on credit

Originally published at americanbanker.com on December 5, 2024. Thought exercise: What would your life look like without access to credit? No credit cards, no buying a house or vehicle without cash on hand and no access to something as simple as overdraft protection tied to a debit card. For most people, that would be somewhere between […]

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Albuquerque Journal: Government hiding data showing EV mandates disproportionately burden lower-Income families

New Mexico’s lack of transparency and fabricated data on electric vehicle mandates raises serious concerns about their disproportionate impact on lower-income families and the erosion of democratic accountability.

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

The CFPB Attacks SoLo Funds

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has attacked SoLo Funds, the nation’s largest consumer-facing Black-led and owned fintech.

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

Colorado’s War on Credit

Colorado’s HB23-1229 threatens consumer access to credit and economic growth.

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Conservatism 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 Technology Top Issues Updates

We Told You So: CFPB’s Assault on Buy Now, Pay Later Tools

In a move that was as predictable as it is alarming, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has once again overstepped its bounds, targeting immensely popular Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) tools. As I anticipated, the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the CFPB’s funding mechanism has emboldened the agency to ramp up its aggressive regulatory […]