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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 Quiet Wealth of Parenting: 10 Practical Lessons for Raising Thriving Children
The article “The Quiet Wealth of Enough: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Thriving Children” highlights that successful parenting is built on three core pillars: intentional presence, teaching children to seek what not to seek (resisting comparative culture), and developing self-learners. As a practical summary of these principles, Section 7 of the article presents Ten Practical Parenting Lessons. These lessons are not intended as formulas, but rather as essential guideposts for
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
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
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
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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
15 hours ago2 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
15 hours ago1 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 141 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 141 min read
Treasury Rates Update: October 30th, 2025
The financial markets reacted sharply this week to the Federal Reserve's policy decision on October 29th, where the Fed decreased rates by 0.25%. This move immediately translated into higher Treasury yields across most of the curve, representing a significant reversal of the downward trend observed in previous weeks. Upcoming Key Economic Data Release: Next new jobs Oct 3 (Fed Govt shutdown, no data released) Next CPI release is Nov 13 (Fed Govt shutdown, delayed bu
Bill Knudson
Nov 22 min read
Mortgage Rates Update: October 30th, 2025
The fixed mortgage market experienced a notable technical movement for the week ending October 30th, 2025, continuing its recent trend of borrower-friendly declines. The 30-year fixed rate decreased by a modest 2 basis points (bp) to 6.17%. This downward movement is particularly compelling given that the 10-Year Treasury rate actually increased by 10bp, strengthening our observation that the mortgage market is reacting to internal dynamics rather than solely benchmark shifts.
Bill Knudson
Nov 21 min read
Mortgage Rates Update: October 23rd, 2025
For the week ending October 23rd, 2025, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate continued its recent downward trajectory, falling by a notable 8 basis points (bp). This decline is particularly interesting as the 10-Year Treasury rate simultaneously increased by 2bp, a divergence that suggests idiosyncratic factors are impacting mortgage-backed security pricing, leading to a narrowing of the spread. For a $100,000 loan at 6.19%, the monthly payment decreased $5 to $612 Upcoming releas
Bill Knudson
Oct 241 min read
Treasury Rates Update: October 23rd, 2025
The narrative in the U.S. Treasury market has decidedly shifted this past week, with rates across the curve experiencing a notable decline, signaling potential market jitters or a flight to safety. This follows a period marked by government dysfunction, including the lack of CPI data this week and the earlier Federal Government shutdown. 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
Bill Knudson
Oct 241 min read
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