Are you speculating when you buy fire insurance on your home? Could you save money by getting together with your friends to form an insurance cooperative, thereby eliminating the necessity of paying s

Are you speculating when you buy fire insurance on your home? Could you save money by getting together with your friends to form an insurance cooperative, thereby eliminating the necessity of paying something to a middleman (the insurance company)? What kinds of useful information do insurance companies provide?

Large companies -Wal-Mart for one - are often scrutinized for selling products below cost until their rivals - small businesses - are driven out of business. At the rate they are going, soon the U.S. will only have a handful of megastores in which all goods and services are sold unless government weighs in and enacts legislation. Should the government step in or should the government let businesses sell products at whatever price they choose? Explain your answer.

Businesses exist to maximize economic return, and governments exist to maximize public benefit. But does that mean the two are mutually exclusive? Can a company - such as a health insurance provider - make money while maximizing public benefit? Or can a government maximize public benefit while also maximize economic return? Discuss. 

Money is a concern for just about everyone, even those who are wealthy. As people age, one of the biggest money issue is outliving your money. Given the longer lifespans of the average American - in 2013 is was 76 years for men, 81 years for women - is it realistic to think people can earn enough money in a lifetime to not only support themselves while employed but also support themselves for 10-20 or more years in retirement? Discuss.