Louis Gregory Rice discusses the financial importance of higher education in the United States. According to a poll of over 1,400 Americans, nearly 80% agree that a college education is more important than it was 10 years ago and about 87% believe a bachelor's degree has replaced a high school diploma as the minimum academic achievement. Further research shows that the average annual income of a college graduate is nearly $25,000 more than a high school graduate and a person without a high school diploma can expect to earn less than half of a college graduate's salary over their lifetime.

1. THE FINANCIAL
IMPORTANCE OF
HIGHER EDUCATION
By Louis Gregory Rice

2. Introduction
 Louis Gregory Rice, according to records a former managing
director of Lazard Freres and Co., currently serves as a
portfolio manager with Kellner Capital, LLC. Outside of work,
Louis Gregory Rice supports charities such as Robin Hood,
an organization dedicated to ending poverty in New York City
and helping students graduate on time.
Over the last several decades the importance of higher
education has risen dramatically throughout the United
States. A poll of more than 1,400 Americans found that nearly
80 percent of citizens agree that a college education is more
important than it was 10 years ago, while about 87 percent
stated that a bachelor’s degree has supplanted a high school
diploma as a minimum academic achievement.

3. Higher Education
 Further research has indicated that the
average annual income of a college graduate
eclipses that of a high school graduate by
nearly $25,000, while a person who fails to
graduate from high school can expect an
annual salary that amounts to less than half of
a college graduate’s. Over a lifetime of
working, those who have completed some
stage of higher education earn over $1.6
million more than those without a bachelor’s
degree.