You don't actually want to buy a house

Most Americans still see buying a home as the ultimate financial goal, but Jerusalem Demsas thinks homeownership is overrated. Matt Yglesias, a proud homeowner, disagrees. They get into why the American Dream might be a bad financial deal, what's really driving people's demand for stability, and whether the Singapore model has something to teach us.

Plus a peer review of a new paper using Swedish lottery data to ask what money actually does to marriages.

(00:00) Homeownership is overrated

(04:42) The "only path to wealth" myth

(10:16) The home equity piggy bank

(17:25) The illiquidity problem

(22:21) Homeownership brain

(27:30) What everyone actually wants: stability

(32:57) Rent control is back

(35:28) A Singapore-style savings idea

(45:17) The YIMBY case for more homeowners

(46:45) Peer review: Lottery winners and marriage