Money, explained by someone still paying tuition.
Written by Kyan Barclay, a third-year economics + finance student at McMaster University.
Departments
The Economics of Everything
One business, product or headline taken apart.
- The Economics of StarbucksStarbucks isn't a coffee shop, it's a bank. And every time you reload your app, you're making a deposit worth $2.2 billion; to them.Updated Sep 5, 2026 · 9 min read
- The Economics of Buy Now, Pay LaterBNPL feels like free money at checkout, but somewhere in that transaction, someone is paying. Here's a breakdown of the economics behind Buy Now, Pay Later: why merchants willingly hand over 3-6% per sale, the psychology that makes installment payments feel cheaper than they are, and what Canada's booming BNPL market means for how your generation spends.Mar 9, 2026 · 9 min read
- Why Did Gas Get So Expensive So Fast?Gas prices jumped 40 cents a litre in a matter of weeks. Here's the step-by-step chain that runs from a narrow waterway in the Middle East all the way to your receipt at the pump: including the part where Canada's biggest oil producer ends up on the wrong side of the equation.Mar 23, 2026 · 7 min read
Latest
- LOANS 102OSAP Grants and Bursaries Nobody Applies ForPart of your OSAP number is money you keep and part is money you repay. Here is how to tell them apart, and the bursary application nobody mentions.
- BANKING 102The Importance of an Emergency Fund (Canada Edition)Why the three-to-six-month emergency fund rule is the wrong target for a Canadian student, and how to size a buffer you can actually reach in one term.
- CREDIT 101Credit Cards 101: The Right Card, the Right Habits, the Right OrderMost people learn how credit cards work by getting it wrong first. This is the breakdown that skips that part: how interest compounds, what your card does to your credit score, and which Canadian cards are actually worth carrying.