Three Ways To Be More Informed About The Economy

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The past 10 days have been extremely eventful in the broader economy, and the Internet is filled with poorly informed and incorrect takes on what’s going on. Three great ways to keep up with what’s going on in business and finance, in escalating order of complexity:

The Wall Street Journal

There is no substitute for the WSJ if you’re trying to keep up with what’s going on in the economy. I trust the NY Times on most subjects, but its financial coverage is far inferior, and much of the NYT’s business reporting is slanted or ideological. If you read the lead stories in the WSJ each day, you will be more informed about the economy than >95% of people.

Unfortunately, the WSJ is *really* expensive. If you don’t currently subscribe, two decent options are a student subscription (if eligible), or checking if your public library subscribes—many libraries allow patrons to read the paper online. I wrote more about free library resources here.

Odd Lots

Odd Lots is probably the best podcast about broader themes in the economy and financial markets, usually with engaging interviews. They’ve done great coverage of many of the defining trends of the past three years, including inflation, supply chain challenges, rising housing costs, and much more.

Matt Levine

Matt Levine is a rarity among financial commentators—a former Wall Street lawyer turned investment banker turned columnist. He writes a new column most weekdays, generally discussing the most interesting thing currently going on in the financial markets. Unlike most commentators, who often have minimal real-world finance experience, he draws on his own experience to explain what’s really going on. His columns are technical but accessible.

And now, Andrew’s pick(s) of the week:

BookFinder is a terrific search engine for used books, scouring thousands of sites (not just Amazon!) for hard-to-find items. I found a few rare used books on here far cheaper than on Amazon.

Also:

Inside Taylor Swift’s Real-Estate Empire

The Party Is Ending for French Retirees

Why Apple and the Carriers Want Your Old iPhone

I hope this has been helpful. If you liked it, please share it on social media! Also, please send me your feedback, requests, and success stories.