Southwest Public Policy Institute

Better living through better policy.

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
No Comments 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
No Comments 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

Press Top Issues Updates

SPPI Welcomes Silicon Valley Innovator Dain Ehring to Board of Directors

Post author By Southwest Public Policy Institute
Post date December 8, 2025
No Comments on SPPI Welcomes Silicon Valley Innovator Dain Ehring to Board of Directors

The Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI) is proud to announce that Dain Ehring, a nationally recognized technology entrepreneur and pioneer in financial and digital innovation, has joined its Board of Directors. Mr. Ehring has over 40 years of experience driving innovation in technology, financial services, and digital ecosystems. As CEO of DAIN ALLEN LLC, he manages strategic […]

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
No Comments 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.