The Strategy of Monopoly

The Strategy of Monopoly
Written By: Ryan S.

With the holidays just around the corner, I figure it’s a good time to talk about the number two argument starter behind politics: Monopoly. Yes, the game. Due to the fact that the game normally ends in yelling or flipping the board (or just the length of the game) it is a generally despised game. As a kid, I spent countless mornings losing to my older sister in a game that seemed quite basic. The reality is that there is a mathematical strategy to winning that I think is worth talking about. Starting with what properties are worth investing in. In the early game, don’t pass anything up. Often times players will pass properties up to save money, but since there are no houses or hotels at the beginning of the game, take that money and invest it in properties because they can be used as trading leverage later. There is a low risk of going bankrupt with this tactic making it a very efficient tactic.

Now, even though you invested in all of these properties, they are not all proportionally worth it.  When playing a two player game, the best properties are Light Blue and Orange. For a three player game, Light Blue and Orange are still good, but red becomes the next best set to invest in. Any game with four players or more, Green is the next best set to invest in. This is partially due to the probability of getting a roll. The most common roll is a seven with a probability of ⅙ and it goes down respectively as you work away from 7. This is partially why orange is so valuable. Orange tiles land 6, 8, and 9 tiles away from jail, which is the most landed on piece in the game. This means that every time someone leaves jail, there is a 14/36 (almost 40%) chance of landing on an orange making it extremely valuable. There’s another misconception when it comes to playing Monopoly and that is everyone’s wish to get hotels. Yes, hotels are super nice and may be worth it in the long run, but in order to maximize profit, you want to put 3 houses on each set (As shown in the graph). This is because it only takes 10-20 turns to recoup that money which is much less than any other number of houses as shown in the table. Now, all this science aside, sometimes luck doesn’t work in your favor and you may still struggle to win games. While this is not a solution, these strategies increase your chances at dominating the game of Monopoly

https://ideas.ted.com/heres-how-to-win-at-monopoly-according-to-math-experts/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubQXz5RBBtU
https://www.insider.com/monopoly-tips-how-to-win-2018-1

Toys R Us: The Fall of an Empire

Lily Hanson

Toys ‘R’ Us: the Fall of the Empire
Lily Hanson
Reuter A2 Economics

We’ve all heard of it, we all know it by name: “Toys ‘R’ Us.” When it comes to toy stores, it’s the first big-name brand that you think of and there are not many competitors that specialize the way Toys ‘R’ Us does. Knowing this, why did the company file for bankruptcy in 2018? Toys ‘R’ Us opened originally in 1957, rebranded from being ‘Children’s Bargain Town’ a children’s furniture store. However, once toys proved to be more popular and profitable, Toys ‘R’ Us was born. The main contributing reasons as to why Toys ‘R’ Us went out of business are that it was slow to adapt to technology and the fact that they failed to compete with other company’s prices.

Although the company started in 1957, as it grows, it should have been keeping up with the times. Toys ‘R’ Us did make sure to continue to rotate and stay up to par with the toy selection that it had but electronic technology was another story. In the early 2000s, Toys ‘R’ Us was slow to adapt to the online world: “Walmart had a better online experience. Target had a better online experience...” says toy industry analyst Jim Silver. (CNN Money) Without an online presence, how can one compete in this modern age? It is necessary to have your prices and deals advertised in an easily accessible way. Toys ‘R’ Us being unable to keep up and compete in the digital age was a major component as to why the company went under so quickly.

As well as that, Toys ‘R’ Us was soon unable to compete price-wise with these other large companies. This is because as well as toys, obviously, Toys ‘R’ Us also continued to sell baby furniture and other necessities despite rebranding to a toy store. Although this seemed like a wise decision, other large companies also started offering these items at a lower price. As a result of this, Walmart, Target and other large companies started selling more diapers, cribs, and the like along with, of course, toys. This caused Walmart to surpass Toys ‘R’ Us and become the top U.S. toy seller in 1998. (USA Today) Toys ‘R’ Us could not compete with others’ prices and therefore went under as a company.

With all this information, you might be wondering “Wait, isn’t Toys ‘R’ Us coming back though?” And the answer to that is yes; sort of. Toys ‘R’ Us won’t be the same as it once was: Geoffrey the Giraffe will still be the company’s loyal mascot and brands offered will be the same, however, the brand is now owned by ‘Tru Kids Brands’ and Richard Barry, CEO of Tru Kids Brands claimed that a maximum of two, much smaller than past, stores will be opened in 2019.

In conclusion, although Toys ‘R’ Us had a great start because of its uniqueness to the toy market, it failed to keep up with changing technology and prices. It will be interesting to see how the new stores turn out in our economy.

Works Cited
“Business News - Latest Headlines on CNN Business.” CNN, Cable News Network, 13 Dec. 2013, www.cnn.com/BUSINESS.
Verdon, Joan. “Toys R Us Timeline: History of the Nation's Top Toy Chain.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 15 Mar. 2018, www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/03/09/toys-r-us-timeline-history-nations-top-toy-chain/409230002/.

The Failure of Amtrak

Alex Lee
Mrs. Straub
AP Economics
18 December 2019

The Failure of Amtrak

Trains are an essential element of America’s surface transportation system, both historically after the landmark building of the Transcontinental Railroad, and with the current day presence of an intense, well-funded, and robust freight rail system. However, one area where America has failed to keep up with the rest of the world in on-the-track-excellence is its passenger rail system Amtrak, and its failure to exceed or even meet the standard of passenger rail set in many other developed nations such as France and the United Kingdom.

On the surface, Amtrak looks like an effective transportation option, as it serves more than 500 destinations in 46 states, connecting the country together now just as it did in the 1800s. Passenger rail services are extremely important to a connected nation, as they support economic development, connect rural communities to the nation, and help reduce roadway congestion in major metropolitan regions. In addition, Amtrak facilities and services are vital to commuter rail agencies, allowing 840,000 commuters to reach their destinations every weekday.

However, in its current state, Amtrak is not the answer to a failing American passenger rail system. According to the Center of American Progress, in the fiscal year of 2012, Amtrak earned $2.877 billion in revenue and incurred $4.036 billion in expenses, incurring losses of over $1.1 billion, forcing substantial subsidies of around 30-35% to be given to our nation’s most popular rail service.
There are a variety of reasons why Amtrak fails to live up to the expectation of other country’s passenger rail services, such as France’s SNCF (state-owned) or the UK’s many profitable private-owned rail services. In my eyes, the easiest way to attack this is to put it in the government’s hands and increase funding for our NATIONAL rail system (as defined by Congress in 1971).

Since beginning operations in 1971, Amtrak has received, in inflation-adjusted terms, only $70 billion in total federal funding. Although that seems like a lot, from 2008-2014, Congress has backfilled the Highway Trust Fund with $65 billion in general fund revenues to avoid insolvency and promote improvements in infrastructure and safety. In just seven years, Congress provided nearly the same amount of general fund support for highways as Amtrak had received in its 45 years of existence. Moreover, when revenues rise as a result of robust ticket sales, such as recently when Amtrak unfolded their new “see this beautiful country” advertising campaign, Congress often uses this as a justification to cut federal support further, taking away momentum gained from an excited and captivated U.S. transportation audience and further burying Amtrak in the mud both economically and in reputation.

Inadequate funding also makes it difficult for Amtrak to comply with necessary safety requirements, such as the installation of positive train control, or PTC, technologies. Positive train control is a communication-based technology that relies on transmitting information using radio signals to provide real-time data on the location, speed, and direction of trains (DeGood). This system is capable of preventing derailments from excess speed, train collisions, and incursions into work zones, among other benefits. When Congress mandated the adoption of PTC in 2008, it did not provide any additional funding or set aside the radio spectrum for Amtrak and other transportation agencies to communicated. As a result, Amtrak and other providers have had to lease spectrum at market rates from spectrum holders, further driving up expenses and launching Amtrak into a tough economic hole, as well as forcing Amtrak to choose between basic rail maintenance and PTC installation.

Funding is not the only challenge, as the system of passenger rail in the United States is set up in a very flawed manner. Unlike passenger rail providers in many other countries, Amtrak operates most of its service on tracks owned by private freight railroads, states, and other public authorities, such as Union Pacific or the Kansas City Southern Railway. In fact, Amtrak owns only 28 percent of the 21,300 route miles it covers. This means that Amtrak has little to no control over its on-time performance, as scheduling and track maintenance decisions remain within private companies, who have no incentive to schedule their trains behind to allow Amtrak trains to pass by and arrive at stations on time. This is especially punishing to Amtrak, as their reputation relies a lot on their ability to get consumers to their locations on time and efficiently, which is not able to happen in the current setup of our national rail system.

So, what is there to do about this? Amtrak is a national asset that will not be able to continue to provide reliable service or expand to meet future population growth and travel demand without additional investment. This is especially true in the Northeast, where approximately one out of every three jobs in the region is within 5 miles of a passenger rail station. Over the next four decades, the region is expected to grow by more than 30 percent, adding approximately 15 million new residents. Without improved passenger and commuter rail service, this growth will lead to crippling congestion that hampers U.S. economic performance not only internationally, but domestically as well. In my eyes, the only logical way to solve this problem in the current, privately owned railroad industry that we live in, is to increase federal funding to include enhanced safety measures, create newer, more efficient infrastructure, and then, maybe one day, Amtrak will be able to become profitable.

Graphs show 1) the drop in Amtrak subsidy despite an increase in ridership 2) increase in ridership 3) loss vs. ridership

Works Cited

DeGood, Kevin. "Understanding Amtrak and the Importance of Passenger Rail in the United States." Center for American Progress. 2019 Center for American Progress, 4 June 2015. Web.

K, Harvey. "How to Fix Amtrak." Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Media, 1 Feb. 2009. Web.

Singer, M.E. "Fix Amtrak? Fix Its Board First." Railway Age. 2018 Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc., 17 Jan. 2019. Web.

Why You Should Invest Early

Why You Should Invest Early
Written By: Jasmine L.

Throughout the entirety of the class, we have been talking about investing. Usually, people will start to invest around theirs 20’s. In fact, there have been studies that show that people usually begin to invest around 26-46 range in their lifetimes for a job and for their retirement. However, it has also been proven that it is better to start saving and investing. For me, there are three main points on why you should start to invest early.

The first is that the time allows you to take risks. Since this is the younger generation, we have more ample time on our hands to see what all of our options are. Every investment has risks to them, whether it be a little bit or a lot so choosing is a bit of a touchy thing for most people. However, since we have more time available while we are young, we also have more time to separate our options. Choosing to invest in a low risk areas are usually the best for highschool and college students just starting. Low risks are offered because losing money is not really preferable to anyone, especially to a college student. It helps keep them on track while focusing.

Secondly, as you grow older and think about where your money will be going from now on, your spending habits will be highly improved. Now that you have become conscious about what’s happening with your money, you will start to save more as to not lose what you have. This will improve your investing as well. If you start saving before you invest you will have more to put in. Saving after investing and during, will improve your day to day living as well. It helps to cut unneeded expenses and focus on your budget more

The final reason is that you’ll be a step ahead of everyone. Since the greater majority of people will be investing later on in their life, investing now would mean that you would get a head start. Starting early while others started later mean that you would have more and would be afford things others could not. Being immediately put on top of your game would greatly impact the future and a good way.



With these and the graphs, information is a bit more clear for the younger or the youngest generation of the success of people. By this, we can not only gain information for ourselves, but also help the spread of information. The legal age of investing is 18, which means starting straight out of school would be the best option. Above, you will see two graphs and charts that show the connection between the young age and investing. Look and leave what you think is the best option.

Saving Money During the Most Expensive Holiday!

Saving Money During the Most Expensive Holiday!
By: Chandler Sefcik

Christmas brings about celebrations, decorations, gift giving, and fun which all correlates to SPENDING MONEY! It’s challenging to not drop hundreds of dollars on the deals that arise before christmas on items we just must have. It’s okay though because you are not alone! It’s estimated that the average person will spend $668 this year on Christmas. Furthermore, as you can see from the graph, the average cost of Christmas has increased since last year by $35 (Cost of Christmas). It’s interesting to note what aspects this money is going towards and if we take a look at the graph below we are able to see.

No surprise that gifts takes the cake with 57% of the expenses of Christmas. In giving gifts to Uncle Joe, cousin Jimmy, Mom, Dad, and little sister Rosie there’s no surprise that spending really adds up. Decorations and other expenses are about even with 15% of the budget each. Finally, travel expenses ends the budget with 13% granted that could change depending upon the individual and if you are staying home, driving or flying for Christmas. Needless to say, Christmas is a busy and expensive time of year and lucky for you I’ll share some of my favorite tips and tricks for saving money this Christmas.



First and foremost, budget your money, especially for gifts! Make a list of people you need to buy gifts for and how much you are willing to spend. Then when shopping make sure you stick to this amount and don’t overspend to avoid potential debt. This can be done with envelopes, where the allotted cash is put in an envelope with each recipient's name. This gives you an opportunity to leave your credit card at home and avoid overspending. The second tip also involves shopping because that’s where the majority of our Christmas money is spent. This tip is to take advantage of sales but be cautious as well. It’s helpful to comparison shop especially during sales. Using the ShopSavvy app you are able to scan the barcode of items and see prices at nearby stores and online retailers to make sure you are receiving the best deal (Curtis)!The next tip involves food because who doesn’t LOVE food. This tip is to embrace the potluck side of meals. Instead of spending loads of money on a Christmas meal, throw a gathering where everyone brings a dish. This will greatly reduce the food cost and possibly allow more money to go towards gifts or decorations. Finally, one of my favorite tips that I admit I could be better at, is to get a head start. This tip may be too late for this Christmas but for next Christmas it’s very applicable. Let me expound on this. If you shop little by little throughout the year for various gifts and decorations, when December rolls around you won’t be scrambling for gifts which could potentially lead to overspending and debt so this tip is CRUCIAL!

I hope you are as excited as I am about saving money especially during the holidays and are able to use some of these tips to limit your spending. Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Works Cited

“Cost of Christmas in 2019: How Much Will Be Spent?” LendEDU, 5 Dec. 2019, lendedu.com/blog/cost-of-christmas/.

Curtis, Jacqueline, et al. “9 Best Ways to Save Money During the Holiday Season.” Money Crashers, 27 Nov. 2019, www.moneycrashers.com/ways-save-money-holiday-season/.

Pagliarini, Robert. “10 Easy Tips to Save Money This Christmas.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 2 June 2011, www.cbsnews.com/news/10-easy-tips-to-save-money-this-christmas/.

Saad, Lydia. “Americans Plan to Spend Generously This Christmas.” Gallup.com, Gallup, 1 Nov. 2019, news.gallup.com/poll/267914/americans-plan-spend-generously-christmas.aspx.

How to start saving in the New Year

How to start saving in the New Year
Written By: Haley Berg

With the new year coming up it is the perfect opportunity to make changes to your old financial habits and start saving more money. Instead of just doing the basic ordinary new year's resolutions it might benefit you to make resolutions that deal with saving more money. Everyone has spending habits they wish they could break and 2020 is the perfect time to do so. There are many ways that you can turn 2020 into a year of savings and create beneficial financial habits.

Before you can do anything about changing your habits it's important to reflect on your spending in 2019. Look back on all your spending and how much you were using on wants rather than needs. Think about the things that you bought that you didn’t need while also looking at the purchases that you thought were necessary. It's important to look at the negatives and positives of your habits so you know what you need to change, and what you can keep the same.

84% of Americans are completely unaware of how much they are spending on subscriptions. Along with that 75% are spending at least $150 a month on the subscriptions. The first way that you can start to save in the new year is by canceling all the subscriptions you don't need. It's a good idea to sit down and look at all the subscriptions you have and think about how much you are really using those services. For example, do you really need 4 show streaming services or can you get by with the 2 you use most? By cutting the services you don’t use you can end up saving a ton of money that can be used for retirement or any other necessary costs.

Another easy way to make a little more money in the new year is by getting rid of things you don’t need anymore. Go through your closet and pull out clothes or other items you never use. After you find things you are willing to get rid of you can resell them to gain some of the money you spent back. If you get rid of nice clothing you can gain back a lot of money that will add up over time. This is a very easy way for us High School kids to gain some cash to save for our futures. I'm sure many of us have piles of clothes that we never wear that are just sitting in our closets taking up space. Another small thing that can be done is to start cooking meals more often at home. The average American household spends an average of $3,008 per year on eating out. If you spend more nights cooking at home you can save that money and use it for something much more worthwhile. Another benefit of eating at home is you can make meals that are healthy to achieve other new years' goals along with saving money.

The last piece of advice for saving in the new year is to give yourself a small saving challenge. Breaking all your habits right away can be very challenging, starting with something small can get you started with the entire process. This could be as simple as putting away change and cash in a jar every week, doing this can really add up. Something else you could even try is the 52-week saving challenge. The 52-week savings challenge starts with saving $1 the first week, $2 the second week, $3 the third week and so on. By the end of the 52 weeks of the year if you follow the plan accordingly you should end up saving $1,378. At the end of the 52 weeks, this will feel like free money. This money that you probably didn’t even think about can go into buying something important, also it will make you feel super successful at the end of the year.

In the end, the new year is a fresh start for everyone and the perfect time to start saving. I would strongly encourage that everyone makes a financial saving resolution this new year, it will end up helping you financially in the long run.

Works Cited

“52 Week Money Challenge.” FORUM Credit Union, 1 Nov. 2019, www.forumcu.com/moneychallenge.

“6 Ways to Save More Money in the New Year.” News Tips, www.heritagecu.org/news-and-tips/6-ways-to-save-more-money-in-the-new-year/.

Black, Michelle L. “11 New Year's Resolutions That Will Actually Save You Money.” Reader's Digest, www.rd.com/advice/saving-money/new-years-resolutions-save-money/.

Burnett, Jane. “Survey: 84% of Americans Unaware of How Much They Spend on Subscription Services.” Ladders, 30 July 2018, www.theladders.com/career-advice/survey-84-of-americans-unaware-of-how-much-they-spend-on-subscription-services.

Saving Money on Christmas Gifts

Saving Money on Christmas Gifts
Written by: Kailey S.

The Christmas season is an expensive time. Everyone wants to buy their loved ones gifts, however, in the end it all adds up. On average Americans spend around $600 annually on Christmas gifts, and that’s not including decorations or food. There are plenty of ways to avoid breaking your bank account on gifts, and they are quite easy too! One way, which is pretty common is to make homemade gifts. Most of the time homemade gifts are sentimental , and are meaningful to both you and the person receiving the gift. Something that would be a good idea of a homemade gift is maybe a picture frame of pictures of you and that person together. Another example could be a jar of the person's favorite candy, with notes and other nicknacks hiding inside.

  Another way to save money is to plan how much your going to spend on each person, and do not go above that limit. This can be beneficial because you go into it knowing that you won’t exceed your limit.

Something that a lot of people do, but should stop, is buying things for yourself while shopping for others. This can be harmful to your bank account because you don’t go into shopping thinking that you’re going to buy yourself things. Make sure that you don’t exceed your limit of spending, so cut out buying things for yourself. Avoid stores that you like to shop in, this should make it easier. The final tip to save money is to do group gifts, whether that’s a white elephant gift exchange, secret santa, or a combined gift for your siblings or parents.

There are many ways that you can save money during the holiday season, and I hope that this gave some insight into ways that can be beneficial.


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/10-easy-tips-to-save-money-this-christmas/

Understanding Sneaker Market

Understanding the Sneaker Market
Written by: Hayden Mersberger

Brands such as Nike and Adidas are very well known in our current day society, but most don’t know about the underground sneaker market. The underground sneaker market consists of sneakers that are very limited and have in some cases extremely high resale value. Most sneakers with the high resale value are either Nike collaborating with another designer brands such as Off White or Adidas’s YEEZY series. For many people, flipping sneakers is a passion along with a source of income. While some understand the sneaker market and play the market pretty well, there are others that try flipping sneakers without understanding what they are doing which can lead to losing a lot of money. There are two main methods used to flip sneakers. One way is more of a side source of income, while the other is more of a business.

Before we dive into the two main methods used to resell sneakers, you have to understand what makes a shoe valuable and what factors determine its resale value. One main factor of determining resale value is the reputation of the brand designing the shoe and that brand's average cost of other products it produces. For example, Nike has done a lot of collaborations with Off White. Off White is a well-k;nown designer known throughout the sneaker community, they also have products with extremely high retail prices. So in this case the resale value of a Nike Off White sneaker would be very high. Another major factor is the supply of the sneaker. Like we have been learning in economics supply and demand play a big role in determining prices. For the sneaker market, when a sneaker has a lot of publicity or “Hype” with a low supply and a high demand, the resale value for the sneaker will be through the roof.


The first method is buying sneakers of a drop (Release) and hitting a sell now button on GOAT or Stock X. A question that is most frequently asked is “What is a drop and where can I find it?” When dealing with Nike, drops can be found on Nike’s SNKRS app or in some rare cases, other retailers such as Footlocker or Champs. The first and hardest step of this method is to purchase a sneaker off the drop. Purchasing a sneaker off of a drop is just the skill of speed, this puts one to the test of fast online checkouts. Once you purchase a sneaker off the drop you will receive it in about a week from whatever site you bought it off. Once received it is as simple as hitting a button and taking the sneaker to your local UPS store to be shipped to the buyer. Once your sneaker is authenticated your payout will be released to you. This method is nice because it has no risk with good payouts, but you would be lucky to get one shoe off a drop per month. This method is not great for the person looking to make a business out of the sneaker market.

The second method isn’t used by many people because it has a much greater risk and lower profits off individual sneakers. In this method, one would purchase a sneaker in the market, not from a retailer. Then one would have to advertise and sell this sneaker back into the market for a little more. Depending on the sneaker you would really only be making $30 to $100 per sneaker. This is most like investing in a stock. You would purchase a sneaker for its current resale value hoping it will go up in value later in time. While this method has a lot more risk overall profits are higher because you would be able to purchase more sneakers. This would be more of a business rather than a side source of income.

So how does this relate back to our day to day life and in the economy? Well, Nike and other retailers who produce these “Hype” sneakers have created a whole new market in which they are the only companies with the supply of these highly demanded sneakers. Nike has the ability to release a sneaker that retails at $2,000 because the people in the sneaker community have the ability to flip that sneaker for much more. With this power over price Nike and other retailers basically have an oligopoly over the sneaker community. These sneakers they release always sell out and it doesn’t matter what the resale value is because the retailers have already had insane profits from that sellout. The only thing these companies have to do is continue the “Hype” and sellouts to be multi-billion-dollar companies. This also influences spending of income throughout the economy which is also great for an economy.




Work Cited

“Sneakers, Streetwear, Trading Cards, Handbags, Watches.” StockX, stockx.com/.

Welty, Matt. “What's the Best Way to Resell Your Sneakers? A Definitive Guide.”

Complex, Complex, 11 July 2018,

www.complex.com/sneakers/2018/07/best-way-to-resell-sneakers/.

“Yeezy Resale Prices: The StockX Guide on Reselling.” NikeShoeBot,

www.nikeshoebot.com/yeezy-resale-prices-the-stockx-guide-on-reselling/.

Forever 21 Bankruptcy

Forever 21 Bankruptcy
Written By: Stella P.

As teens in high school, we all don’t have that much money to spend on high-end clothes like Givenchy, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, or Chanel. But ever since forever 21 came to our local malls, it was the store you wanted to go to and get stylish clothes for cheap! Forever 21 was founded in 1984 by Do Won Chang (Picture to the left). The clothing store became a fast fashion spot quickly among teens and all women. Their goal was to sell new fashion trends at a low cost. As the retail store grew, it had opened around 623 stores around the world. While teens continued to shop at forever 21, online stores were catching up and became a big competitor. With these online retail competitors, forever 21 began to lose customers. Since online retailers don’t have to pay an overhead fee (leasing buildings) they are able to have more income without much outgo. Online stores also don’t have to deal with the realities that mall stores deal with on a daily bases. That includes things such as shoplifting, robbery, and the constant hiring, training, and firing of employees.

The story of the forever 21 bankruptcy began in September 2019. The company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy which allows a company to stay in business and repay its debts over time. Forever 21 said it has borrowed $245 million in financing from JPMorgan Chase (JPM), as well as $75 million in new capital from TPG Sixth Street Partners (cash machinery, and equipment). This allowed forever 21 to operate “in a business as usual manner” during their restructuring.

Linda Chang, the chain’s executive vice president, also the daughter of the founder, Do Won Chang, states that “What we’re hoping to do with this process is just to simplify things so we can get back to doing what we do best.” She also stated that “We went from seven countries to 47 countries within a less-than-six-year time frame and with that came a lot of complexity.” Finally, she said, “The retail industry is obviously changing - there has been a softening of mall traffic and sales are shifting more to online.”

The Chang family came to America to live the American dream that everyone desires. They’re not about to give up that dream. That desire, along with their strong faith (the family references the Bible verse “John 3:16” on every one of their bright yellow shopping bags) should help in their crusade to once again come out on top.

Works Cited

Biron, Bethany. “Forever 21 Could Close 111 Underperforming Stores in the US. Here's the Full List of Locations at Risk.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 31 Oct. 2019, www.businessinsider.com/forever-21-closing-stores-could-include-these-list-2019-10.

Maheshwari, Sapna. “Forever 21 Bankruptcy Signals a Shift in Consumer Tastes.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Sept. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/09/29/business/forever-21-bankruptcy.html.

Meyersohn, Nathaniel, and Chris Isidore. “Forever 21 Files for Bankruptcy and Will Close up to 178 US Stores.” CNN, Cable News Network, 30 Sept. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/09/29/business/forever-21-bankruptcy/index.html.

Naidu, Richa. “Forever 21 Closing Stores in Bankruptcy Filing Shows Limits to Fast Fashion.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 30 Sept. 2019, www.reuters.com/article/us-forever21-bankruptcy/forever-21-closing-stores-in-bankruptcy-filing-shows-limits-to-fast-fashion-idUSKBN1WF043.

Porterfield, Carlie. “Forever 21 Considers Filing For Bankruptcy, Reports.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 29 Aug. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2019/08/29/forever-21-considers-filing-for-bankruptcy-reports/#46b69f235bcd.

How to Save Money at Bucks Games

Click on this link to listen to Noah and Travis discuss ways to save money at Bucks games this season!

Closing the Gender Investment Gap

Closing the Gender Investment Gap
By Molly Paras

As we all should know by now, it is imperative that we start saving and investing money early. For women, however, starting early is even more important. Due to the gender pay gap, women are already earning less money, so their money won’t earn as much interest or as big of a return if they put in the same percentage of their salary as men. You may be thinking that this is a problem of having less money than richer people, whether a woman or a man, but there is more to it than that. Yes, people with less money are at a disadvantage since they can’t save as much, but even if a woman and a man had the same starting salary, their salary curves (a projection of how their salary will increase throughout the next years) are much different.

https://www.ellevest.com/images/marketing_site/personalized_portfolios/earnings_peak_graph-desktop.png

Investing the same percentage of their salary would start out the same, but as they age the men would be putting more money into investments than women. Women are more likely to live longer, but their money is less likely to last as long since they have not invested as much. All the salary differences aside, women generally invest less than men. According to YouGov, 52% of women have never had an investment, whereas the same is true for only 37% of men. US News states that women, however, earn 0.4% higher returns than men by picking better investments on average. After putting in thousands of dollars each year and letting the money grow for a significant amount of time, that 0.4% difference could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Women are clearly capable of investing well, so more of them need to start doing it to make up for all of the money they lose by being females in the workforce rather than males.

https://www.earnest.com/blog/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Net-Worth-By-Gender@2x.png

Dealing with money and finances has been thought of as the man’s job in the past, by both females and males. As shown in the graph above, this stereotype needs to be broken to close the gender wealth gap. Although the bar graph is based only on loan applicants, it is clear that the difference in net worth is mainly due to women purely not investing as much as men. The financial world may be geared towards men currently, but by discussing finances more often, women learning more and being open towards investing, and helping women invest early, we can start to close the gender wealth and investment gaps.

Works Cited

“How Much Money Do People Have?” Priceonomics, priceonomics.com/how-much-money-do-people-have/.

PalframanDirector, Matt. “Over Half of Women Have Never Held an Investment Product.” YouGov, 12 Apr. 2018, yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2018/04/12/over-half-women-have-never-held-investment-product.

Rachael Revesz @RachaelRevesz. “Opinion: The Urgent Reason Women Need to Learn up on Money.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 12 Sept. 2019, www.independent.co.uk/voices/money-women-financial-literacy-ftse-100-pensions-banking-a9102186.html.

“Why It Matters.” Ellevest, www.ellevest.com/personalized-portfolios.

“Women Can Close the Gender Wealth Gap by Investing.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, money.usnews.com/investing/investing-101/articles/women-can-close-the-gender-wealth-gap-by-investing.

TikTok Might be Taking Over Your Life

TikTok Might be Taking Over Your Life
Bekah Schmitz


Launched in 2017, TikTok is a growing social media platform that allows users to create short lip sync comedic videos. Since the initial release date in late 2016, 1.4 billion people have downloaded the app, making it the most downloaded. Quarter 1 of 2019 alone had more than 33 million downloads.

Tiktok allows teens and adults to express themselves in a different way than other social media, such as instagram, twitter and facebook. An article written by Oblero explains that TikTok uses an entertainment platform rather than a lifestyle media option. On TikTok, a lot of relatable videos are posted and shared, which allows users from all around the world to laugh and collaborate with each other. TikTok has special features such as creating duets with other users, adding filters, uploading funny videos, etc. It can remind people of an old app, Vine, which no longer exists.

A lot of teenagers choose to post random videos because they want to go viral and it is a fun thing to do when hanging out with your friends. Others just like to look at different weird, cringy, funny meme videos that have been posted by people around the United States and in different countries. Either way, Tiktok is leaving an imprint on the world and projected to grow even more in 2020. You even see videos originated from TikTok posted on instagram or facebook that were made into memes and became even more popular.

Another interesting aspect of Tik Tok is that popular creators that gain a lot of followers and likes on the app from “going viral”, are able to get gifts from people who like their videos. From those gifts, it allows those users to make money off of their videos. Some make up to 5,000 dollars per video. That is a lot of money if you think about just standing in front of your phone screen and dancing to a song. Also, creators can earn money by if they have enough followers or likes, they do brand ads and those companies pay them.

Fast Company found that on average users spend 45 minutes a day on TikTok, which is more than the average daily use on Facebook. The New York Times also wrote about this popular app and included that a 16 year old in New York admits he spends 16 hours a week on the app. That is just one kid, so imagine all of the other teens who find themselves a “tik tok addict” and use large amounts of their time on this app. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, you might want to catch on the bandwagon.

Works Cited

Dishman, Lydia. “Is TikTok a Time Bomb?” Fast Company, Fast Company, 27 Aug. 2019, www.fastcompany.com/90395898/is-tiktok-a-time-bomb.

Mohsin, Maryam. “10 TikTok Statistics That You Need to Know in 2019 [Infographic].” Oberlo,

Oberlo Dropshipping App., 22 Nov. 2019, www.oberlo.com/blog/tiktok-statistics.

Sommer, Liz. “The Economics Of TikTok.” StayHipp, 3 July 2019, stayhipp.com/media/tiktok/the-economics-of-tiktok/.

Super Bowl Commercial Effect

Super Bowl Commercial Effect
Written By: AJ H.


Do you ever turn on the T.V. during the super bowl when it’s during commercials but you tune in more than during the actual game? Or what about only watching the Super Bowl because of the commercials? Well, these companies that pay for these commercials does not cost them a couple bucks. If your someone who watches for the actual game and during the commercials you go on social media, your ignoring commercials that cost people millions of dollars.

Most people watch the commercials more than during the regular season, and that’s exactly why is costs so much for one 30 second commercial. Now, you may be thinking that these businesses are insane for deciding to spend their money on that. Although, according to vox.com, 111 million people watched the Super Bowl last year which was the most watched sporting event in that year. Businesses must choose wisely because many commercials go over our heads. For example, there are hundreds of different car commercials, so businesses must create and choose the correct commercials so it sticks in the consumers heads to buy the products or to do whatever it is. To make the biggest jump of sales, the commercials must be unique and different than others.

The commercials with the content that is original and creative and the ones with celebrities usually get the most economic profit. According to forbes.com, 46% of the people that turn on the Super Bowl just want to watch the commercials and the half time show. The statistics show that after the most effective ads played during the Super Bowl the purchasing of those products are boosted greatly.

As it may sound like choosing to spend 5 million dollars on a 30 second commercial would be an outrageous idea, but it’s not. Over 110 million people watch the Super Bowl and just less than 50% of the viewers only watch for the commercials and the halftime show. If the commercial that a business is unique and draws the attention of a large fraction of the viewers, that product or service could rise greatly in sales and overall boost their business.

Works Cited

Feldman, Dana. “Advertisers Bring Their A-Game Super Bowl Sunday, But Certain Brands Have The Most Pre-Game Impact.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 Feb. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/danafeldman/2018/02/01/advertisers-bring-their-a-game-super-bowl-sunday-but-certain-brands-have-the-most-pre-game-impact/#5e22ae417da0.

Nittle, Nadra. “What Makes a Super Bowl Ad Successful? An Ad Exec Explains.” Vox, Vox, 3 Feb. 2019, www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/1/25/18197609/super-bowl-ads-commercials-doritos-sprint-skittles.

How to Save Money on Christmas Gifts

How to Save Money on Christmas Gifts
Written By: Amber K.

We all know that when December rolls around, the season of giving begins. With the holidays right around the corner, everybody is scrambling to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones, which can be difficult when you don’t have unlimited funds. Though we all want to get our friends and family great gifts, it’s still important to have and maintain a budget to make sure you aren’t digging yourself into a hole of holiday debt. On average, the typical american spends about $700 on gifts alone. With that being said, here are a few tips to cut on your holiday spending.

First, budget yourself and track your spending so you are aware of how much you can spend and how much of that budget you have already spent. A good way to start up your holiday budget is to start saving earlier than you think you need to. Setting aside a few dollars here and there will help more than you think when it comes to buying all of the gifts you want to give. Another way to help with saving up is to cut back on unnecessary spending leading up to the holidays, such as eating out.

The second holiday spending tip is to shop early. Though we all want to wait till black friday to splurge on gifts, it’s smarter to be on the lookout for sales and discounts year round. When you’re mindful of your christmas gift list throughout the year, you’ll spread out both the spending and the stress of the holiday season.

Third and lastly is the “regift”. We’ve all received gifts that we secretly hate. These are the things that sit in the corner of your basement for years, there’s nothing wrong with giving someone something you have no use for. The one thing you need to keep in mind when utilizing the regift technique is that you cannot under any circumstances give the gift back to the person you received it from. You should also avoid regifting if the person who gave you the gift will be at your christmas celebration. Though regifting has a bad reputation, it ultimately saves you money and keeps gifts from going unused.

Works Cited

Dratch, Dana. “14 Ways To Save Money At The Holidays.” Bankrate, Bankrate.com, 3 Oct. 2014, www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/ways-to-save-during-holidays-1.aspx.

“How To Set Up Your Christmas Budget.” EveryDollar, www.everydollar.com/blog/christmas-budget.

“How Much Are Americans Spending This Holiday Season?: Alliant Credit Union.” Alliant Credit Union Live Environment, www.alliantcreditunion.org/money-mentor/how-much-are-americans-spending-this-holiday-season.

Economic Effect of Casinos

Economic Effect of Casinos
PJ Heimsch
AP Economics
12/3/19

The casino industry is very polarizing in the way that people view gambling. Some see it as a form of entertainment, while others believe it to be a tax on the poor. These opinions on the betting are created by the benefits and disadvantages of casinos on local economies. Casinos can create a boost in tourism in a local area, but over time for some locations that rise in tourism will dissipate. The construction of a casino in a local place has boom or bust written all over it. 

Las Vegas creates a great example for a location where casinos can fuel a thriving economy. According to a study by the Nevada Resort Association, Nevada’s gambling industry formed an economic impact of $67.6 billion in 2018. This impact factors in all indirect and direct economic impacts, such as the tourism flow created and tax revenue. For example, the total tax revenue for Nevada in 2018 was $3.8 billion, and of that $1.5 billion was contributed by the hotel and casino industry. Below is a chart of the 10 largest taxpayers in Nevada (bolded are firms from the hotel and casino industry).



An example of a bust would be Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1978. Atlantic City gave an attempt at duplicating the economic growth that Las Vegas experienced. It was the first legal US casino not located in Nevada. Atlantic City was ready to experience a decrease in unemployment rate, an increase in tourism flow, and much more. Instead within 4 years a third of the cities local businesses closed and within 15 years the unemployment rate was double the New Jersey average. These effects were the result of the location of the casino. The destination was not as enticing as the Las Vegas area, which resulted in the casino relying on local consistency.

The effect of casinos on the economy can be a boom or bust. Some places boom due to the increasing tourism, more jobs created, and higher tax revenues. On the other hand, some locations bust due to limited market share because of other casinos (in state or out of state), and substitution due to all the variations of gambling.     

Works Cited

“The Economic and Social Effects of Casinos.” Gambling: What's at Stake?, Encyclopedia.com, 26 Nov. 2019, www.encyclopedia.com/reference/social-sciences-magazines/economic-and-social-effects-casinos#D.

“How Gaming Benefits Nevada.” How Gaming Benefits Nevada | Taxes, www.nevadaresorts.org/benefits/taxes.php.

“Spotlight on Economics: Do Casinos Have a Positive Effect on Economic Growth?” Spotlight on Economics: Do Casinos Have a Positive Effect on Economic Growth? - Ag News from NDSU, www.ag.ndsu.edu/news/columns/spotlight-on-economics/spotlight-on-economics-do-casinos-have-a-positive-effect-on-economic-growth.

Chicken and the Economy

Chicken and the Economy
Nolan Zigler

For most of us today, chicken is a large part of our diet. We eat it at the school cafeteria, restaurants, and at the fast food juggernaut that we all love, Chick-Fil-A. Our mass consumption of chicken creates an enormous impact of the economy that is often overlooked. According to the National Chicken Council, the chicken industry provides over 1 million jobs and 197.5 billion dollars to the US economy (nationalchickencouncil.org). To understand how the chicken industry has grown to become the giant it is today, we first need to look at how it started.

First off, chicken is mostly consumed in Western countries like here in the United States. Other countries and cultures eat chicken, we in the United States just consume it on a much greater scale. This is due to various factors, the main one being health.

Back in the 1900s, beef was more a popular meat than chicken. Because of this, doctors in the 1980s started to warn Americans that red meat contains a high amount of saturated fat, which can raise the risk for heart disease. Doctors nowadays still believe this, however now the main concern with eating red meat is that it can contribute to an increased risk of colon cancer (economist.com). These doctors recommended that chicken is a much healthier substitute for beef and that Americans believed it. On the graph above, you can see that there was a noticeable incline in the consumption of chicken and a noticeable decline of beef in the 1980s.

Another reason why Americans eat so much chicken is that it is the cheapest meat you can buy. Farmers continue to get more and more meat per chicken as the years progress, due to genetic modifications. This is a benefit to consumers as more meat per chicken means the price will be low, however this is bad news for the chickens. According to Kevin O’Connor, an activist and writer for animal rights, “A modern meat chicken weighs up to three kilograms: almost double the size of a chicken from 60 years ago. And their breasts are 80 percent larger” (onegreenplanet.org). With this unnatural and rapid growth, chickens now have started to develop new health problems, such as “sudden death syndrome” (onegreenplanet.org). This drastic change in size did not happen on accident either; farmers have competed throughout the decades to get more meat per chicken and to raise their profits.

Chicken takes many steps to get from the farm to your table. First chickens have to be raised on a farm, then processed into meat, and finally shipped to grocery stores or restaurants where they are sold to hungry consumers. Due to this lengthy process, it is no surprise that chickens contribute a large amount to our economy. One thing that makes chicken unique and more profitable to raise on a farm than most other animals is that they not only produce meat, but lay eggs. The egg industry is relatively smaller compared to chicken, however it still provides about 112,470 jobs and 2.3 billion in government revenue (morningagclips.com).

When looking towards the future, the chicken industry is still projected to grow, however at a much slower rate than previous years. According to the USDA, the industry is only going to grow about 1% in 2020 from 2019 (hprovisioneronline.com). Similar to in 1980 when Americans started to eat more chicken to become healthier, I feel that more and more people are becoming vegetarians or vegans and are stopping eating meat altogether in order to improve health. “Fake meat” alternatives have also started to become more popular nowadays which could start to contribute to the decline of the chicken industry. As of now, however, the industry is growing and projected to grow for years to come.



Works Cited
Nationalchickencouncil.org, www.nationalchickencouncil.org/chicken-industry-provides-more-than-one-million-jobs-and-197-5-billion-in-economic-impact-to-us-economy-new-study/.

O'Connor, Kevin. “The Genetically Modified Chicken: How We Have Altered 'Broiler' Chickens for Profit.” One Green Planet, One Green Planet, 28 Apr. 2015, www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/the-genetically-modified-chicken-how-we-have-altered-broiler-chickens-for-profit/.

Super, Tom. “State of the Chicken Industry 2019.” The National Provisioner RSS, The National Provisioner, 24 Oct. 2019, www.provisioneronline.com/articles/108464-state-of-the-chicken-industry-2019.

“Why Westerners Eat so Much Chicken.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 25 Jan. 2019, www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2019/01/25/why-westerners-eat-so-much-chicken.

Is the Lottery worth it?

Is the Lottery worth it?
Written by: Megan F.

The lottery is a get a rich quick scheme that leaves lottery winners in debt.  According to benzinga, “Nearly one-third of U.S.lottery winners declare bankruptcy, often within just a few years of their big win,” That is not nearly enough of time that this money is supposed to last. Millions of dollars disappearing like a magic act only to end up when you have started but you have dug yourself into a bigger hole.  According to a study by Wolf Street “....... was $500,000 in debt and filed for bankruptcy in the early 1990s, according to Bankrate.”  The mentality of the people that win the lottery think “It’s okay I have money” but that way of living can easily slip away from you really fast. Many Americans take part in this adrenaline rush. According to the lottery tickets invest money, “ The average American spends about $223.04 per year on lottery tickets, loan marketplace LendEDU found in a report that calculated its average by dividing the 2016 lottery revenue by the U.S. population (325.7 million)”{(Time). The $ 223.04 that you could spend investing in your future. There are much better outcomes in winning the lottery if the winner knew where to put their money.

Although this game is all anticipation and disappointment until you win, or is it just better to invest. In the article why picking stocks is only slightly better than playing the lottery, they go in-depth on why it’s better to pick stocks than play this money-sucking game. The article states, “ The good news: Yes, buying one stock gives you better odds than buying a lottery ticket”(Money Market). A wise man told me that you can’t put all of your eggs in one basket. What if you feel the need to put all of your eggs in the basket because of the outcome that will reward you? Of course, buying a stock is going to give you a better chance as a better outcome for your money.  According to What are the odds, 1  in 13,983,816”(wonderopolis)Those numbers are the odds of winning the lottery. It is fun but this gamble should not involve your life revolving around it. Advice for the people that may need it put your money in a certificate of deposit or in the money market to increase your earnings.  This advice should on;y help you gain money and not losing the money to the lottery.

Who buys the most lottery tickets?

 Not only is this rescue mind trick lead to bankruptcy it can be bad for your budget. According to think process, “ One study found that a reason for this is that “lotteries set off a vicious cycle that not only exploits low-income individuals’ desires to escape poverty but also directly prevents them from improving upon their financial situations.”  This study proves that poor people are trying to get money to pay bills and be out of debt. Every ticket that doesn’t win is less and less money that is going towards saving, their family,  and their budget. People who participate in the lottery are more likely to be poor rather than on the wealthier side of things.

Where does the money from the lottery usually go?

Have you ever been asked what you would do if you had won the lottery? A popular question that as children were young we were expected to provide an answer to this open-ended question. According to Think Process, “Lottery winnings have led some to drugs, bankruptcy, and family fractures” With a large sum of money things can get out of hand pretty quickly. This pattern is not only known to the gamblers and lottery winners but also football players.  According to Money, “78% of former NFL players have gone bankrupt or are under financial stress because of joblessness or divorce” Football players are meant to play football so managing money isn’t a strong suit of theirs. Most football players hire other people to manage their money and most of their money is going to the people that are managing it. In the long run, it would be better to take care of the money individually and take up a personal finance class wouldn’t hurt.


Does age play a role in how much people will pay for lottery tickets?






I thought young people would have bought more lottery tickets because they like to take risks and the rush that follows it. Although older people don’t have to worry about as much as younger people that are starting families. I think that young people are scared to lose their money and they want to save as much as possible. They are saving money for their debt from college and also for the kids that they are going to have.  In the chart, you see that after 65-74 years it decreases. The decreasing is probably from the fact that they won’t have time to use the large sum of the money.  They are preparing to not live many more years. $7.55 seems so little when you think of putting money towards the lottery. More people are more comfortable at the age of 65 to put money towards the lottery. The younger the lottery buyers are, are more likely to be poor.


What if we looked at the psychology of risk?

What happens to the brain that allows us as humans to pursue the risks we do? According to Are You A High-Risk Investor? A Brain Scan May Soon Be Able To Tell, “ The researchers studied 108 healthy young adults, first giving them detailed questionnaires featuring 120 different scenarios involving the risk of making more or less money to assess their comfort with financial choices. These scenarios gave participants four seconds to make a choice between a 100% certain smaller financial reward (e.g., $20) or a probability of receiving a larger reward, the amount and chance of which varied in each of the 120 trials (e.g., 48% chance of receiving $80). The scientists then used this data to place individuals on a wide spectrum of risk tolerance, ranging from extremely risk-averse to extremely risk-seeking” (Forbes). Some people like to see how far their money can go in a short amount of time. Some people are wiser by investing and saving their money.


Inside the brain

As humans, we like the odds of winning and the excitement that comes with it. According to Gambling addicts arise from a mix of flawed thinking, brain chemistry, and habitual behavior, “A pigeon can become a pathological gambler, just as a person can," the late Skinner, who famously trained birds to guide World War II missiles to their targets, once assured an interviewer”(Cleveland). Now that this study has been done it shows that humans are not the only ones who like the risk.  According to this is your brain on a lottery ticket, “ The odds of winning the lottery seem dismal – a joke, really – when you haven’t bought a ticket. You once heard the chances of getting struck by lightning, twice, were better”(manreppeler). Our minds work in a weird way we don’t naturally think about the probability of winning but what the dream has to offer and it is for sale. It is the thought of the question of what would I do with the money? What would I use it on?.


Problem and Action Steps

Is the lottery reassuring to our money problems? According to should I play the lottery,  “ A WebMath study reported that one-third of Americans believe the lottery is the only way to become financially stable. One-third. One hundred or so million people who believe that lottery ticket is their only path to financial success”.( planner search) As humans it is sometimes hard to fathom how far things really are. Winning the lottery is one thing humans can get a grasp of how far it really is. It is a really long shot to plan your life on it. Instead of being the biggest donor for the lottery by something you have really wanted for a while and save the money you were willing to give to the lottery.

Works Cited

Covert, Bryce. “How Lotteries Are Bad For Players, Winners, And States.” ThinkProgress, 20 May 2013, thinkprogress.org/how-lotteries-are-bad-for-players-winners-and-states-2148efa4f58b/.

Forster, Victoria. “Are You A High-Risk Investor? A Brain Scan May Soon Be Able To Tell.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 5 Apr. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/victoriaforster/2018/04/05/are-you-a-high-risk-investor-companies-may-soon-be-able-to-scan-your-brain-to-find-out/#558db60a741c.

“How Much Money Do Americans Spend on Lottery Tickets?” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 29 Aug. 2019, www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/how-much-money-do-americans-spend-on-lottery-tickets.htm.

Mangels, John. “Gambling Addicts Arise from Mix of Flawed Thinking, Brain Chemistry and Habitual Behavior.” Cleveland, 15 May 2011, www.cleveland.com/metro/2011/05/gambling_addicts_arise_from_mi.html.

Nahman, Haley. “This Is Your Brain on a Lottery Ticket.” Man Repeller, 4 Jan. 2017, www.manrepeller.com/2017/01/lottery-psychology.html.

Piore, Adam. “Why We Keep Playing the Lottery - Issue 4: The Unlikely.” Nautilus, 1 Aug. 2013, nautil.us/issue/4/the-unlikely/why-we-keep-playing-the-lottery.

Rolison, et al. “Risk-Taking Differences Across the Adult Life Span: A Question of Age and
Domain.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 22 Oct. 2013,

academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/69/6/870/545646.
“What Are Your Odds Of Winning the Lottery?” Wonderopolis,

www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-are-your-odds-of-winning-the-lottery.
Workman, Chip, and Cfp. “Should I Play The Lottery.” PlannerSearch, FPA,

The Reality of Black Friday

The Reality of Black Friday
Written By: Bella P.



The weekend that follows thanksgiving is better known as Black Friday. The Friday after Thanksgiving is the day in which is most stores offer highly promoted sales on almost everything and open extremely early. The Monday following Thanksgiving is known as Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is black friday for online sales. Black friday used to be known solely for the friday after but can be recently known to extend until Cyber Monday. The participation in Black Friday has become a custom to most people in the united states. Black friday sets the beginning of season of christmas shopping. According to the National Retail Federation, “About 165 million people shopped in stores or online between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. Over that time period spending an average of about $313.29”

Are Black Friday’s so called “great deals”, actually good deals? All stores hype up the deals that are going to happen on black friday, but are they the best deals that occur each year? Recently stores are tending to start their deals in early november and the weeks leading up to black friday-- these deals can be extremely good and may even come close to being better than those of Black Friday. Even the days and sometimes weeks following christmas there are deals to get rid of some of the stock that they had loaded up on for christmas. This is present in stores such as walmart and target in which they have additional aisles (soley for toys) in the weeks leading up to christmas.

Black Friday encourages and makes it easier for people to be more impulsive while shopping which can have a negative impact on people. 46% of purchases made during Black Friday, people claim are spent on things that they want-- not things that they actually need. When black friday encourages overspending it then defeats the entire purpose of people trying to save money. When people impulsively buy during black friday they do not know if the deals are actually good deals. Impulsive buying can really add up in the end. Purchasing a lot of unneeded items can put a set back in your financial budgets.

Works Cited

“10 Reasons Black Friday Is Awful and Needs to Go Away.” Business Insurance Quotes Compare Providers for Free RSS, www.businessinsurance.org/10-reasons-black-friday-is-awful-and-needs-to-go-away/.

“Black Friday (Shopping).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Dec. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(shopping).

Garza, Alejandro de la. “Is Black Friday Still Worth It? We Asked the Experts.” Time, Time, 20 Nov. 2018, time.com/5459198/black-friday-worth-it/.

Investopedia. “How Thanksgiving and Black Friday Affects Stocks.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 18 Nov. 2019, www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/102714/how-stock-market-affected-thanksgiving-and-black-friday.asp.

JC Candanedo. “Is Black Friday Still Worth It For Anyone?” JC Candanedo, JC Candanedo, 14 Nov. 2018, www.jccandanedo.com/blog/is-black-friday-still-worth-it-for-anyone.