Datapoints: An Advantage Vanishes for Money Funds

Read my NYT column on a little appreciated Datapoint for investors.

Two Numbers: The Housing Market Breathes Under Water

Read my Newsweek column on the housing market recovery. The surprising thing is that for all the strong activity and price gains of 2013, one in five Americans with a mortgage still owe more to the bank than their home is worth. The housing recovery has a long way to go!

Placing Odds on your Health (and Its Cost)

Read my Datapoints column in today's New York Times. The really important point in shopping for health insurance is understanding your risks of incurring big bills. That information is difficult for individuals to figure out. (and neither the government or health insurers are making it any easier)  

What Americans could use is an individual assessment of risk based on health history, age, and other relevant factors. We know that it can be done, at least to some degree, since in past years health insurers studied their data to figure out who was likely to have big expenses in order to deny them coverage. Health insurers are not making that data readily available, though. 

For now, Milliman’s estimates which I use as the basis for my NYT column can provide a rough guide. Here's the table Milliman provided. Perhaps in the future we’ll see better ways to help Americans become savvy health care shoppers.

The Risk of Incurring Various Amounts of Health Expense in a Year, Without Health Insurance.

Source: Milliman Inc

(1)	(2)
Trended	Percentage of
Total	Adults (under 65) with
Annual	Claims Greater
Claim	than Column 1
(Rounded)	(Rounded)
$0	93%
$100	90%
$500	80%
$900	70%
$1,700	60%
$2,700	50%
$4,300	40%
$7,300	30%
$13,300	20%
$26,800	10%
$47,300	5%

Two Numbers: The Coming US Retirement Crisis

Read my Newsweek column on how prepared we are for retirement. It's scarier than you think.

Two Numbers: the Rich are getting Richer Faster

Read my latest Newsweek piece. By one measure, at least, inequality is growing at a faster rate.

Bitcoins from Heaven

Bitcoins are traded on unregulated markets and open to manipulation. Read my piece in Newsweek.

Why health insurance is a crummy deal most of the time

Read my Newsweek piece on shopping for health insurance