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Stay Curious.
Make the most of your college experience.
Jeff Hulett
Curator, The Curiosity Vine
Stay Curious.
The Curiosity Vine is an idea incubator.
Our contributors have experience and interest in a variety of high-impact topics, such as science, technology, conservation, mathematics, data science, public policy, economics, and others. Our objective is to promote early-stage ideas, enable idea collaboration, and test idea purchase.
TCV platform is curated by Jeff Hulett.
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TCV's ideas are used to provide seminars, write books, build businesses, and especially to help people.
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Featured Posts
The RepDem Duopoly: How a Collusive Oligopoly is Cannibalizing the American Economy
Since the inauguration of the second Trump administration in 2025, the American business community has found itself in an uncharacteristic state of alarm. The common grievances echo through the halls of the Chamber of Commerce and across the factory floors of the Midwest: a sharp "Trump Slump" in international tourism fueled by new visa hurdles and negative sentimant; chronic labor shortages in agriculture and construction due to aggressive deportation mandates; a supply chai
Architects of the Enrichment: How Jefferson, Smith, Madison, and Hamilton Built the Modern World
The Case for Keeping the Faith It is remarkably easy to get discouraged by today's headlines. When we look at political division or the lingering injustices of our world, it’s tempting to think we are backsliding. The data tells a completely different story. A story we should be proud of and a story that should motivate us to do and be better. As Billy Joel famously sang in Keeping the Faith , "The good old days weren't that good, and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems." At t
Win/Win Economics: How Adam Smith Showed Us the Way to Prosperity
A Legacy of Enrichment. This year, we celebrate the 250-year anniversary of Adam Smith's publication of The Wealth of Nations . It is, of course, no coincidence that 1776 was also the year the American colonies declared independence from the British; both events signaled a radical shift toward individual liberty and self-determination. We owe much of our modern prosperity to the insights of Adam Smith. By identifying the mechanics of market economics, Smith helped kick off t
Insurance Gerrymandering: The "La La Land" Tax Hitting Many Americans
In the world of policy, there is a recurring pattern where a small group of influential leaders—the "Anointed"—decide that their personal vision for society is more important than the hard facts of the market. They don't see themselves as politicians; they see themselves as rescuers. Their vision is simple: "We can make dangerous places feel safe by making them artificially cheap to live in." But in economics, there is no such thing as a free lunch. When the Anointed decide t
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Mortgage Rates Update: December 18th, 2025
The mortgage market showed continued resilience for the week ending December 18, 2025, as 30-year fixed mortgage rates edged down slightly. The rate decreased by 1 basis point to 6.21 percent. This movement occurred as the 10 Year Treasury rate saw a more pronounced decline of 2 basis points. As an experienced economist, I observe that while both benchmarks are moving lower, the faster drop in Treasury yields resulted in a minor expansion of the market spread. This divergence
Bill Knudson
Dec 19, 20251 min read
From Moral Philosophy to Choice Architecture: Closing the 'Unseen' Gap in Adam Smith's System
Adam Smith’s enduring legacy rests on two pillars: the moral philosophy detailed in The Theory of Moral Sentiments (TMS) and the economic framework of The Wealth of Nations (WN) . For decades, the intellectual divide between these works—dubbed the "Adam Smith Problem"—obscured a critical truth: the two books form a single, cohesive system. The key to unification lies in Smith’s four sources of moral approval from TMS. The first three sources (motives, consequences, and gener
Jeff Hulett
Dec 16, 20257 min read
The Mechanics of Emergence: Signal Integration in Neurons
What does Neuroscience have to do with Personal Finance? Everything! My journey into personal finance has led me to a crucial realization: the vast majority of our challenge to achieve long-term wealth begins not in spreadsheets or investment accounts, but within our own minds. The reasons we are either successful or fail are often rooted in the deep mechanics of how our brain operates and how that operation ultimately presents in our personal finance decision-making. This a
Jeff Hulett
Dec 15, 20257 min read
Treasury Rates Update: December 11th, 2025
The US Treasury market experienced a notable week, heavily influenced by the Federal Reserve's rate decrease of 25 basis points on December 10th. This action immediately triggered a clear pivot in the yield curve, with short-term rates declining while longer-term maturities moved higher, reflecting the market's expectation of short-term easing but potentially persistent inflation concerns further out. Upcoming Key Economic Data Release: Next net new job release is Dec 16 fo
Bill Knudson
Dec 13, 20252 min read
Mortgage Rates Update: December 11th, 2025
For the week ending December 11, 2025, the fixed mortgage market experienced a parallel movement with Treasury yields, indicating a return to correlation. The 30-year fixed rate increased by 3 basis points (bp), settling at 6.22%. This upward shift mirrored the 10-Year T-Note rate, which also rose by 3bp to 4.14%. As an experienced economist, I find this concurrent movement significant. When both rates move in tandem, the spread between them remains stable, suggesting the mar
Bill Knudson
Dec 13, 20251 min read
De-Moral Hazarding: The Strategic Use of Commitment Devices to Achieve Moral Benefit
I. Introduction: The Asymmetry of Risk and Incentive Distortion Despite the substantial welfare gains provided by risk-transfer mechanisms, the phenomenon of Moral Hazard (MH) represents a persistent challenge, contributing to systemic inefficiency and escalating costs. MH fundamentally describes the incentive distortion created when agents are insulated from the full financial consequences of their actions. Drawing from a long-established definition, Moral Hazard is understo
Jeff Hulett
Dec 10, 20258 min read
Treasury Rates Update: December 4th, 2025
The U.S. Treasury market made a strong directional move this past week, signaling a distinct anticipation of future policy changes ahead of the December 10th Fed meeting. We saw a clear pivot in the yield curve toward a more positive, or steepening, position. This dramatic shift involved a significant drop in the shortest-term rates alongside a broad rise in longer maturities, painting a picture of expected short-term easing coupled with persistent long-term inflation or grow
Bill Knudson
Dec 6, 20251 min read
Mortgage Rates Update: December 4th, 2025
The market saw a significant and welcome shift for the week ending December 4, 2025, as 30-year fixed mortgage rates resumed a steady decline. The 30-year rate fell by 7 basis points (bp), settling at 6.19%. This strong movement was synchronized with the Treasury market, which saw the 10-Year T-Note rate decrease by a similarly meaningful 8bp. The convergence of these movements led to a slight 1bp tightening of the spread, a critical sign that risk premiums in the mortgage se
Bill Knudson
Dec 6, 20251 min read
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