SoFi Blog

As equities continue to charge ahead, both the dollar and real interest rates remain in a holding pattern. Increased uncertainty over the likelihood of tax cuts and increased infrastructure spending have led many to question the continued justification for a “Trump Rally.” Accelerating inflation and statements from Fed Bank Presidents Williams and Dudley have brought the Federal Reserve back to center stage as the March meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee approaches.

It’s not exactly news that millennials are marrying later than the generations before them. But to give you a sense of just how differently they approach the tradition from their parents, in 1962, nearly 60% of 18- to 30-year-olds were married. Today, just 20% of people in that same age range have tied the knot. As such, they’re older than their predecessors were, too—whereas the average woman in the ’70s was barely 20 when she walked up the aisle, today she’s over 27.

Waiting to be more mature and financially stable before marrying is not a bad thing, and could help to explain another trend on the rise among this age group. Before saying, “I do,” millennials are asking for prenups, in larger numbers than before. In fact, just over 50% of matrimonial lawyers attest that the number of millennials requesting prenuptial agreements is on the rise.

Concerns about the rising cost of college in the United States—and the $1.4 trillion in student loan debt nationwide—are alive and well.

And they’ve prompted a lot of discussion about the different ways our educational peers nearby, across the pond, and beyond handle student loan repayment programs. When it comes to tuition costs and paying off student loans, the American system is unique—and not for all the reasons you might think.

It turns out that cheap or even free tuition doesn’t mean the end of student loans. Student loans are common even in countries with free tuition, because no matter where you go to college, you have to live somewhere and, of course, eat.

Sweden gets a lot of attention because tuition there is free. Still, Swedish students borrow money for college just as frequently as Americans do—and about 70% of students in both countries have student loans. But Swedish students graduate with about $20,000 in debt, compared to about $30,000 for American graduates.

To explore how the rest of the world pays for learning, we looked at the most recent QS World University Rankings. Thirty-two of the top 100 schools are in the U.S. Another 32 are found in just four countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Canada. Below, we compare the way higher education is financed in all five nations, in descending rank order.

Far and away, money issues are the leading cause of stress in relationships. It makes sense when you consider that nearly 13 million Americans withhold financial information—including bank accounts and credit cards—from the people they love.

Obviously, that’s not exactly a healthy way to engage in a relationship. That’s why, instead of allowing money issues to balloon into financial infidelity, or to become even a minor source of tension between you and your partner, it’s important to talk about how the two of you plan to manage your money as a couple.

SoFi members Jennifer Nichols and Anthony Latta learned over time what it takes to successfully combine their individual financial lives with that of their partner’s through trial-and-error in their own relationships. Here’s their advice for merging money in a relationship, from what works well to what definitely doesn’t.

A preponderance of solid economic data has sent equity markets higher as they brush aside the political risk stemming from a chaotic new administration. Focus has shifted back towards the Federal Reserve and the outlook for monetary policy after several weeks in which expectations of tax cuts and infrastructure spending captivated markets. We continue to like a globally diversified equity portfolio and short duration fixed income.