Good morning to you Reader, The Federal Reserve opted to keep rates the same in their July FOMC meeting. If you peek at the CME Group's FedWatch tool, traders believe there's an 80%+ chance the Fed drops rates in the September meeting. With the poor job numbers last week and the unpredictable nature of these tariffs, the economy is looking a bit shakier. Traders are anticipating the Fed will have to make a move. If the Fed drops rates, interest rates across the board will fall too. If you...
11 days agoย โขย 1 min read
Good morning to you Reader, Did you know that the US dollar has lost 11% of its value in the first of 2025? (Source: Morningstar) It's the worst half-year performance since 1991. So as you watch some assets go up in value (crypto, gold), recognize that a big part of that has to do with our dollars being worth 11% less than at the start of the year. Yikes. (View this email as a webpage) ๐
How my thinking about money has changed I'm about to celebrate a birthday and I took a few minutes to...
18 days agoย โขย 1 min read
Good day to you Reader, Thank goodness for emergency funds - our Bosch dishwasher showed the dreaded E:15 error (water leak) and despite my best efforts, it wasn't an easy fix (replace a diverter valve). A call to a technician and a few hundred bucks later, it was fixed. A $50 part = hundreds when you need a professional to diagnose and install it. Hopefully nothing else breaks for a few years! (View this email as a webpage) ๐
Beware the monthly trap Ever wonder why everything is sold as a...
25 days agoย โขย 1 min read
Good day to you Reader, There was a famous 2010 Princeton study that reported your happiness goes up with income up to around $75,000 a year. It's because at that point, your basic needs are covered and the stress of survival starts to wane. A follow up study in 2023 by the University of Pennsylvania found that happiness increases linearly with income up to $500,000. But happiness is not the same as peace. I wonder at what salary or net worth does feelings of insecurity and anxiety go away? I...
about 1 month agoย โขย 1 min read
Good morning Reader, In a few days, we'll be celebrating the 4th with good friends and it's a fun mid-year reminder that it's good to celebrate from time to time. How will you be spending the 4th? (View this email as a webpage) ๐ฅณ This is why rituals are important I wrote this article in the fall, hence the emphasis on pumpkin spiced lattes, but it explains how rituals can elevate every day experiences. It's a life lesson I try to bake into everything our family does and I think it works quite...
about 2 months agoย โขย 1 min read
Hello Reader, It seems like every year we get a new name for a weather event and this week it was "heat dome." I was just in Dallas, Texas and returned to Maryland where it was hotter. It was 91 when I left Texas and it was 97 here! (My wife took a picture of our thermometer and it said 102!) If you're experiencing the heat dome too (which hopefully is ending today), stay cool! (View this email as a webpage) ๐ Retirement savings waterfall If in the wealth accumulation phase of your life,...
about 2 months agoย โขย 1 min read
Hello Reader, Has summer started for you yet? Today marks the final day of public school for our kids and so it'll be chaos in our home until camps start next week. When I was younger adult, I thought you should have school in the summer. Between the summer slide and worrying about childcare, it made no sense. But as our kids are getting older, I prefer the summers off. It's good for kids to have fun. Education and academics are important but are they the most important? Eh... I'm not sure....
about 2 months agoย โขย 2 min read
Hello Reader, What's the worst financial advice you've ever received? The worst financial advice I got was when a real estate agent tried to convince me to increase my house budget by 20% โjust to see what I thought about those types of houses.โ I thought I could afford a $275,000 house and he took me to houses that were listed at $300,000+ because โI needed to know what a little bit more could get me.โ This was during the housing boom in the mid-2000s. He said that because I had a good job...
2 months agoย โขย 2 min read
Hello Reader, Do you know about the TACO trade strategy? It stands for Trump Always Chickens Out and it was created by a Financial Times journalist. The name is a joke but the idea has seeds of truth to it. Here's the strategy in a nutshell - ignore Trump on tariffs because he's going to back down. It really only matters if you're an options trader, because options contracts can expire before the tariffs get reversed or reduced, but regular investors can just wait things out... which is good...
2 months agoย โขย 1 min read