{"title":"Beth Akers","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"making-college-pay-book-beth-akers-9780593238530","title":"Making College Pay","description":"\u003cb\u003eA leading economist makes the case that college is still a smart investment, and reveals how to increase the odds of your degree paying off.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe cost of college makes for frightening headlines and politics. The outstanding balance of student loans is over $1.5 trillion nationally, while tuitions continue to rise. And with most students currently attending classes remotely from their dorm or childhood bedrooms, we have to wonder: \u003ci\u003eIs college really worth it?\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom a financial perspective, the answer is yes, says economist Beth Akers: the average college graduate earns a million dollars more over their lifetime than someone without a degree. And the most elite 4-year colleges deliver\u003ci\u003e 15 percent\u003c\/i\u003e return on investment--double that of the stock market. Moreover, despite all the horror stories about burdensome student debt, most graduates actually owe very little in monthly payments, relative to their income. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYes, college is expensive. But when we look at college for what it is - an investment in future opportunities, job security, and earnings - Akers argues, we see that the price isn't the problem: it's the risk that your investment might not pay off. In \u003ci\u003eMaking College Pay, \u003c\/i\u003e she shows how to stack the deck in your favor by making smart choices about where to go, what to study, and how to pay for it. Readers will learn: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e-\u003c\/b\u003e Why choosing the right major matters more than where you enroll\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e-\u003c\/b\u003e The best metric for picking a college (hint: not prestige, selectivity, or ranking).\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e-\u003c\/b\u003e Why borrowing is often best, even if you can afford to pay outright.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e-\u003c\/b\u003e How to \u003cb\u003ehedge your bets by\u003c\/b\u003e unbundling the college experience, or \u003cb\u003etransfer your risk \u003c\/b\u003eusing tools like income-sharing agreements \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFull of practical advice for students and parents, \u003ci\u003eMaking College Pay \u003c\/i\u003ereminds us that higher education remains an engine for upward mobility and prosperity in America.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50059105632529,"sku":"CIN0593238532G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51332444225809,"sku":"CIN0593238532VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52648988410129,"sku":"GOR014575365","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0593238532.jpg?v=1786079016"},{"product_id":"game-of-loans-book-beth-akers-9780691167152","title":"Game of Loans","description":"College tuition and student debt levels have been rising at an alarming pace for at least two decades. These trends, coupled with an economy weakened by a major recession, have raised serious questions about whether we are headed for a major crisis, with borrowers defaulting on their loans in unprecedented numbers and taxpayers being forced to foot the bill. Game of Loans draws on new evidence to explain why such fears are misplaced--and how the popular myth of a looming crisis has obscured the real problems facing student lending in America.  Bringing needed clarity to an issue that concerns all of us, Beth Akers and Matthew Chingos cut through the sensationalism and misleading rhetoric to make the compelling case that college remains a good investment for most students. They show how, in fact, typical borrowers face affordable debt burdens, and argue that the truly serious cases of financial hardship portrayed in the media are less common than the popular narrative would have us believe. But there are more troubling problems with student loans that don't receive the same attention.\nThey include high rates of avoidable defaults by students who take on loans but don't finish college--the riskiest segment of borrowers--and a dysfunctional market where competition among colleges drives tuition costs up instead of down.  Persuasive and compelling, Game of Loans moves beyond the emotionally charged and politicized talk surrounding student debt, and offers a set of sensible policy proposals that can solve the real problems in student lending.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50098636423441,"sku":"CIN069116715XG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50358286844177,"sku":"CIN069116715XA","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53518194114833,"sku":"NIN9780691167152","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53781606990097,"sku":"CIN069116715XVG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/069116715X.jpg?v=1751231291"},{"product_id":"game-of-loans-book-beth-akers-9780691181103","title":"Game of Loans","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy fears about a looming student loan crisis are unfounded—and how they obscure what's really wrong with student lending\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCollege tuition and student debt levels have been rising at an alarming pace for at least two decades. These trends, coupled with an economy weakened by a major recession, have raised serious questions about whether we are headed for a major crisis, with borrowers defaulting on their loans in unprecedented numbers and taxpayers being forced to foot the bill. \u003ci\u003eGame of Loans\u003c\/i\u003e draws on new evidence to explain why such fears are misplaced—and how the popular myth of a looming crisis has obscured the real problems facing student lending in America.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBringing needed clarity to an issue that concerns all of us, Beth Akers and Matthew Chingos cut through the sensationalism and misleading rhetoric to make the compelling case that college remains a good investment for most students. They show how, in fact, typical borrowers face affordable debt burdens, and argue that the truly serious cases of financial hardship portrayed in the media are less common than the popular narrative would have us believe. But there are more troubling problems with student loans that don't receive the same attention. They include high rates of avoidable defaults by students who take on loans but don’t finish college—the riskiest segment of borrowers—and a dysfunctional market where competition among colleges drives tuition costs up instead of down.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePersuasive and compelling, \u003ci\u003eGame of Loans\u003c\/i\u003e moves beyond the emotionally charged and politicized talk surrounding student debt, and offers a set of sensible policy proposals that can solve the real problems in student lending.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50356013367569,"sku":"CIN0691181101G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":53752059396369,"sku":"CIN0691181101A","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0691181101.jpg?v=1786528421"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-beth-akers.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}