The Best Money Ideas I Found in 2025

7 Recommended Reads I'm Still Chewing On

As we hurtle toward the end of 2025, I wanted to share a few of the stories and books I read this year that I’m still chewing on. They shaped the way I think about money and dislodged some beliefs about what it means to be good with money. (Note: a few of these links are behind paywalls, but journalists gotta eat!)

1. A delirious new culture of consumption

“They Got to Live a Life of Luxury. Then Came the Fine Print.” — The New York Times

For Elysia Berman, the desire for high-end clothing and bags had been building up for years. She grew up surrounded by kids who casually flung Louis Vuitton bags into their Porsches while she decorated her L.L. Bean backpack with Wite-Out.

When she moved to NYC and got her dream job as a designer at a fashion magazine, with the help of Buy Now Pay Later she seized the moment. This is the story of her descent into high-fashion and high debt.

It’s a compelling exploration of a story that is increasingly playing out as BNPL seeks to normalize itself in consumer spending.

2. America’s Money Mood? Worried.

2026 Money Mood Report from YNAB

Why are women 12% more likely to feel guilty when they spend money to treat themselves, compared to men? YNAB’s 2026 Money Mood Report asked Americans questions about their financial lives that their friends, neighbors, and maybe even family might not know.

Read how Millennials feel about managing their money compared to Gen Z, and how much Americans can spend on a purchase before it no longer feels like “no big deal.”

3. Allowances for Adults?

“She’s 7 Years Old. Her Parents Are Saving to Support Her When She’s 30.” — The Wall Street Journal

Once you’ve made your bed and gotten a full-time job then you’ll get your (adult) allowance. The Wall Street Journal did a story on a trend of parents putting aside money for their children to receive when they become adults so they can afford the skyrocketing costs to be a grown up nowadays.

Some of my friends were nauseated by the story; some felt resentful that they didn’t get financial help from their parents or don’t expect to be able to provide an adult allowance for their children. My takeaway is that we are lurching toward unaffordability across many sectors of our economy—higher ed, healthcare, and housing— and we will continue to see creative and sometimes shocking responses.

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments.

4. A Lonely Chef on the 100^th Floor of a Luxury Skyscraper

“At a Deluxe Dining Room on the 100^th Floor, a Chef Toils in Obscurity.” — The New York Times

A look inside the strange world of private restaurants in ultra-expensive apartment buildings.

The chef at 10 Cubed, which overlooks Central Park in NYC on the 100^th floor of an ultra-exclusive apartment building, has a menu that blends his African-Caribbean roots with classic French techniques. The only problem is that the restaurant is often empty because it’s closed to the public and the residents of the building are more likely to be zipping around the world than sitting down for a meal upstairs.

This line stuck with me from a manager at a similar private restaurant in NYC, talking about the $31 chicken breast with rosemary-smashed potatoes on the lunch menu, which residents can get delivered to their apartment via room service: “The definition of luxury has evolved into simple ease and convenience. The most important thing to all of us, no matter how much money you have, is time.”

It was interesting to reflect that money can get you a state-of-the-art apartment overlooking Central Park, but it might not buy you time.

5. My Mother’s Illness Changed the Way I Think about Money

“My Mother’s Illness Changed the Way I Think about Money” — The Wall Street Journal

The personal finance columnist for The Wall Street Journal wrote this very personal account about caretaking for her mother toward the end of her life. She chronicled how those realities burned through the comfortable money advice she had long given. A quote from the article reads:

“As a personal finance expert, I give advice on how to maximize wealth. At the end of my mother’s life, I realized there’s a more important question: What is our money for?”

6. Die with Zero

Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life by Bill Perkins

I listened to this as an audiobook and it made a big impact right away. The author makes the (obvious but powerful) argument that some experiences, like going on a skiing vacation with your kids or taking a parent to visit their ancestral homeland, are only available to you at certain times of your life. Therefore, you should spend your money to create fulfilling experiences when you can and not hoard money until the window of creating good memories has closed.

My wife and I decided to take on a massive renovation of our house this year because I realized my oldest daughter might only have six years left before she moves out and I wanted her to have a restful bedroom… and a stairwell that wasn’t dangerous… and walls that weren’t flaking paint.

And so, kapoosh, we took out a home equity loan because we realized that being able to enjoy this house with our girls was worth the price of the interest on the loan.

It’s a thought-provoking book, especially on the subject of inheritances, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. (Bill Perkins has a companionable reading voice if audiobooks are your thing.)

7. Paying for College, Understanding the Price

The Price You Pay for College by Ron Lieber

Confession: I have tried to put the enormous sums of money I may someday need to pay for my daughters’ college tuition out of mind. I feel behind on retirement; I live in one of the most expensive parts of the country; yada, yada, yada. But this year I decided to stop hiding from the issue and picked up Ron Lieber’s excellent book, The Price You Pay for College.

Lieber spent years reporting on higher education and his book explores questions like: why is college so expensive now? What makes a good college for your specific child? I heartily recommend this book if you want a guide to navigating what Lieber calls “the biggest financial decision your family will ever make.”

I’d love to hear about something you read, watched, or learned this year that made you think differently about your finances and/or priorities! Share ‘em in the comments. I’m hungry for more!

– Dan