finance

"A leading economist makes the case that college is still a smart investment, and reveals how to increase the odds of your degree paying off. The cost of college makes for frightening headlines and politics. The outstanding balance of student loans is more than $1.5 trillion nationally, while tuitions continue to rise. And on the heels of a pandemic that nearly dismantled the traditional "college experience," we have to wonder: Is college really worth it? From a financial perspective, the answer is yes, says economist Beth Akers. It's true that college is expensive. But once we see higher education for what it is-an investment in future opportunities, job security, and earnings-a different picture emerges: The average college graduate earns a million dollars more over their lifetime, and most four-year schools deliver a 15 percent return on investment-double that of the stock market. Yet these outcomes are not guaranteed. Rather, they hinge upon where and how you opt to invest your tuition dollars. Simply put, the real problem with college isn't the cost-it's the risk that your investment might not pay off. In Making College Pay, Akers shows how to stack the deck in your favor by making smart choices about where to enroll, what to study, and how to pay for it. You'll learn why choosing the right major matters more than where you enroll the best criteria for picking a school (hint: not selectivity or ranking) why there's a high cost of working part-time while earning your degree why it's often best to borrow, even if you can afford to pay outright the pros and cons of nontraditional degree programs how to take advantage of new, low-risk financing tools Full of practical advice for students and parents, Making College Pay reminds us that higher education remains an engine for opportunity, upward mobility, and prosperity"--.

After multiple police killings of unarmed African Americans, activists have called for immediate and meaningful changes. The focus is on community-police interactions, law enforcement policies, and the defunding of police departments. This book examines what defunding and other reforms entail and offers a look at some of the changes already underway.

"Explores the concept of defunding [the police] while addressing the reasons people are calling for it in a comprehensive, honest, and age-appropriate way. Developed in conjunction with educator, advocate, and author Kelisa Wing to reach children of all races and encourage them to approach race issues with open eyes and minds"--Provided by publisher.

"In the last century and a half, American higher education has set the standard for the college ideal: a robust student life, a sprawling physical campus, and a faculty whose research contributes to the broader national conversation. The articles in this collection show how this standard was the creation of government intervention, corporate financing, and the organizing of students and professors. Readers will discover the broad diversity of college experience, plus the growing challenges to sustain the college ideal in times of economic downturn and political division. Features such as media literacy terms and questions round out this fascinating narrative"--Provided by publisher.

"As of 2019, Americans owed over $1.56 trillion in student loan debt, and 69 percent of college students who graduated in 2018 had to take out student loans. Student debt has increased significantly over the past twenty years, but what factors have brought this about? Are students to blame for making irresponsible financial decisions, or is the price of education rising disproportionately to average income? How do variables like class and race impact student debt? What impact do these debts have on individuals and the economy? This volume examines the nature of America's student debt crisis and explores possible solutions"--Provided by publisher.

When the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863, the black community owned less than one percent of the United States' total wealth. More than 150 years later, that number has barely budged. The Color of Money pursues the persistence of this racial wealth gap by focusing on the generators of wealth in the black community: black banks. Baradaran challenges the long-standing notion that black banking and community self-help is the solution to the racial wealth gap. These initiatives have functioned as a potent political decoy to avoid more fundamental reforms and racial redress. Examining the fruits of past policies and the operation of banking in a segregated economy, she makes clear that only bolder, more realistic views of banking's relation to black communities will end the cycle of poverty and promote black wealth"--Provided by publisher.

The author argues that the primary function of education is not to enhance skills but to certify intelligence, work ethic, and conformity. The text examines why even with better access to education there has not been a result of better jobs for the average worker, and that vocational education would be more beneficial.

"[Presents] . . . 21 peer-reviewed, academic articles that examine the . . . relationship between . . . individual scientists conducting research and the groups who fund them"--Provided by publisher.

"An intimate, heart wrenching portrait of one small hospital that reveals the magnitude of America's health care crises. By following the struggle for survival of one small-town hospital, and the patients who walk, or are carried, through its doors, The Hospital takes readers into the world of the American medical industry in a way no book has done before. Americans are dying sooner, and living in poorer health. Alexander argues that no plan will solve America's health crisis until the deeper causes of that crisis are addressed. Bryan, Ohio's hospital, is losing money, making it vulnerable to big health systems seeking domination and Phil Ennen, CEO, has been fighting to preserve its independence. Meanwhile, Bryan, a town of 8,500 people in Ohio's northwest corner, is still trying to recover from the Great Recession. As local leaders struggle to address the town's problems, and the hospital fights for its life amid a rapidly consolidating medical and hospital industry, a 39-year-old diabetic literally fights for his limbs, and a 55-year-old contractor lies dying in the emergency room. With these and other stories, Alexander strips away the wonkiness of policy to reveal Americans' struggle for health against a powerful system that's stacked against them, but yet so fragile it blows apart when the pandemic hits. Culminating with COVID-19, this book offers a blueprint for how we created the crisis we're in"--Provided by the publisher.

" . . . teaches parents how their kid can graduate from college without debt, even if they haven't saved for it. It also shows parents how to prepare their child for college, covering topics like what classes to takein high school, when to start testing, how to do college visits, and how to choose a major"--Provided by publisher.