The Future of Money Archives

Economics

Time Is Money, but That Doesn’t Mean You Need to Work Non-Stop

The aphorism is so ingrained in us that, unable to trace back its history, we consider it a part of our collective subconscious, but a new class of company is pushing industrial attitudes aside in favor of a healthier work-life balance.

Kyle Chayka

Economics

The Fall of China’s Renminbi

Changing monetary policy in China reminds us that all national currencies are little more than constructions, open to manipulation and wild fluctuation.

Kyle Chayka

Economics

When It Comes to Solar Power, the Market Is Finally Making Environmentalism Easy

The price of this renewable energy source is now competitive with older, dirtier alternatives—and getting cheaper by the day.

Kyle Chayka

Economics

Why Are So Many Silicon Valley Companies Valued in the Billions?

WhatsApp, Oculus, Instagram, Tumblr: These are just some of the technology companies recently valued at $1 billion or more. Whether we’re in a start-up bubble or not nobody can agree on, but one thing is certain: We have no idea what the future looks like, and an investment today could result in huge profits tomorrow.

Kyle Chayka

Economics

The Post-Employment Economy Makes Entrepreneurs of Us All

It’s time to rethink the relationship between employers and employees.

Kyle Chayka

Economics

What the IRS’s Taxation Ruling Means for Bitcoin and Other Digital Currencies

The recent notice is a surreal step that brings what was once an anarchist’s dream come true closer to being a tool of the state.

Kyle Chayka

Economics

The Not-So-Surprising Way Your Parents’ Income Predicts Yours

Just as you suspected, there’s a reason inequality is structural and self-perpetuating. But you might be shocked by just how few of the most well-off individuals are able to out-earn the generation before them. It isn’t the one percent we should be focusing on, but the 0.1 percent.

Kyle Chayka

Economics

Investing in Human Capital, Literally

In what’s been criticized as a modern-day version of indentured servitude, a new batch of start-ups are giving investors the opportunity to turn people into profit by buying a piece of their future earnings. Could this be a solution to our student debt problem?

Kyle Chayka

Economics

Do We Need to Force People to Live in the Homes They Own?

With more and more individual investors looking to real estate as just another money-making commodity to add to their portfolio, rents are being driven to unreachable heights for all but the wealthiest among us.

Kyle Chayka

Economics

How Drug Money Is Funding Drug Education

Projected revenue figures for Colorado on marijuana taxes have been revised up and up and up, and Governor John Hickenlooper plans to put almost all of that money toward public health and addiction prevention programs.

Kyle Chayka