Profitable Ideas: When the American Dream is a Money Pit, The Economics of Friendship, and More

July 17, 2026

Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web.

Real estate won’t make you feel rich (Use Your Wealth). Many first-time homebuyers vastly underestimate the ongoing costs of owning home.

DraftKings intentionally creates gambling addicts, new lawsuit alleges (Daily Citizen). I have mixed feelings about this one. We’re responsible for our own actions, but there’s also quite an effort taking place to get us to do what we shouldn’t do.

The rise of American gambling (Joseph Politano). On a related note, a tweet is worth a thousand words.

Why mailing a paper check has become so risky (The Washington Post via Archive.today). An old-school, low-tech scam is surging.

Why recruiters can’t find workers and new grads can’t find jobs (It’s not AI) (Washington Post). There’s a mismatch between employer needs and worker skills.

The economics of friendship (Wall Street Journal). Convenience comes with a cost.

The hedonic treadmill (Seth Godin). The best upgrade.

Hey…can you pay me back now? (Your Brain on Money). What happens when friends don’t pay friends back.

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