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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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Treasury Rates Update: November 20th, 2025
The US Treasury market exhibited a calm demeanor this past week, largely maintaining the stability seen recently, though rates across the majority of the curve did tick slightly lower. This period of quiet movement follows the key economic data releases of jobs and CPI earlier in the month, leaving the market in a holding pattern ahead of the next Federal Reserve meeting. Upcoming Key Economic Data Release: Next net new job release is 11.7.25 (10.3.25 Fed Govt shutdown, no
Bill Knudson
Nov 29, 20252 min read
Mortgage Rates Update: November 20th, 2025
The recent momentum favoring mortgage rate declines reversed course for the week ending November 20th, 2025, signaling persistent friction in the lending market. The 30-year fixed rate ticked up by 2 basis points (bp), settling at 6.26%. Critically, this upward movement occurred despite a 1bp decline in the 10-Year Treasury rate, reinforcing the notion that idiosyncratic risk premiums continue to dominate mortgage-backed securities pricing, rather than purely benchmark yield
Bill Knudson
Nov 29, 20251 min read
The Quiet Wealth of Parenting: 10 Practical Lessons for Raising Thriving Children
It's not about money or perfection; it's about presence, governing our seeking, and being a self-learner. Discover the 10 Practical Parenting Lessons from "The Quiet Wealth of Enough" that teach resilience, self-learning, and the true meaning of wealth for raising healthy, happy children. These lessons come from a deep understanding of the behavioral and cognitive sciences, financial education, teaching, and the practical experience of raising four confident, resilient, an
Jeff Hulett
Nov 29, 20252 min read
The Geometry of Getting Rich: Why Mathematical Intuition is the Key to Personal Finance Success
In the realm of personal finance success, few skills prove as critical yet misunderstood as mathematical intuition. It represents the ability to grasp abstract concepts—compound interest, convexity, or the impact of time—not merely as equations, but as tangible, predictable forces shaping our reality. For many, this intuition remains elusive, a casualty of a mathematical education system focused heavily on formalization. The central challenge in personal finance is not in und
Jeff Hulett
Nov 19, 202520 min read
Behind The Concrete Curtain: How Zoning Benefits the Few at the Cost of the Many
Concrete is the ultimate institutional metaphor. It begins as an agreeable fluid, easily shaped to conform to any purpose. When it's first mixed, it's sloshy and pliable, easily molded around any form or foundation. But then, it sets. It hardens into a rock-solid, unforgiving mass, freezing forever any shape or preference it was poured into. This is the apt metaphor for congealed preferences describing institutions. In politics, initially fluid intentions are poured into in
Jeff Hulett
Nov 16, 202510 min read
Mortgage Rates Update: November 13th, 2025
After several weeks of favorable declines, the housing market faced a slight headwind for the week ending November 13th, 2025, as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate experienced a notable increase. The rate rose by 7 basis points (bp), settling at 6.24%. This move defied expectations set by the Treasury market, where the 10-Year T-Note rate actually decreased by 1bp. Upcoming releases: Next new jobs Oct 3 (Fed Govt shutdown, no data released) Next CPI release is Nov 13 (F
Jeff Hulett
Nov 14, 20251 min read
Treasury Rates Update: November 13th, 2025
This past week in the U.S. Treasury market was characterized by a distinct lack of movement, indicating the market is taking a pause after the significant volatility spurred by the late October Fed rate decrease and the recent jobs data. Upcoming Key Economic Data Release: Next net new job release is 11.7.25 (10.3.25 Fed Govt shutdown, no data) Next inflation release 11.13.25 (10.15.25 Fed Govt shutdown, data delayed to 10.24.25. no release 11.13.25) Next Fed meeting is
Bill Knudson
Nov 14, 20251 min read
The Illusion of Affordability: Why the 50-Year Mortgage Will Make Housing Less Affordable
The American dream of homeownership has never felt further out of reach. With a severe housing supply shortage driving prices to astronomical levels, a new proposal has emerged: the 50-year fixed-rate mortgage. The pitch is simple—by spreading payments over five decades instead of three, the monthly cost of owning a home falls dramatically, putting the keys back into the hands of young buyers. As an economist and a real estate investor who has spent decades studying how money
Jeff Hulett
Nov 11, 20256 min read
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