Good morning Reader!

Yesterday shows you just how impossible it is to predict the stock market. The Dow fell over a 1200 points (with other indices doing similarly) before recovering to a loss of just 400.

Why? The war in Iran.

But that started over the weekend, why did investors until Tuesday to have their panic?

That's hard to say. But the best guess is that we expected something similar to Venezuela (US swoops in, snatches Maduro, conflict ends) but Iran didn't lie down. Longer conflicts, closing the Strait of Hormuz (20-25% of global oil volume), and other events led traders to think this might go longer... until it appeared it might not.

Depending on who you are, this should do two things:

1. If you are near retirement, use this time to re-evaluate your allocations. Are you too exposed to equities? Could you handle a large drop right now? It's a volatile time.
2. If you are far from retirement, it's a good reminder that the market is efficient and historically it goes up. Don't make any rash emotional moves, you have time to wait it out.

If you panicked yesterday and sold in the morning, you would've kicked yourself by the afternoon. That's how quickly things moved. This is a good reminder, much like the tariff on/off shenanigans from last year, patience is key.

💲 Best Bank Rates (as of 3/4/2026):

The Fed meets in 2 weeks, traders expect them to hold rates steady. 97.3% chance of no change.

• High Yield Savings - 4.00% APY from SoFi​
• Short Term Treasury - VBIL - 3.53%
• Certificates of Deposit (see 30k+ rates on CD Valet)
  • Best: 4.15% from TBO Bank (6mo)
  • 6 months: 4.10% from Credit One Bank
  • 12 months: 4.10% from E*Trade
  • 60 Months: 4.00% from Sallie Mae Bank
• Bank Bonuses - $450 US Bank, $400 BMO, $200 Barclays, $1500 Marcus & more​

​(View this email as a webpage)​

📱 Is your phone listening to you?

Have you ever mentioned something in passing to a friend and then suddenly see ads for it everywhere?

They say it’s a coincidence. They say it’s because you searched for it before. Probably... but why chance it?

Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit over Siri privacy concerns… so if you are concerned, there are several settings on your phone that you should change.

​👉 How to Stop Your Phone from Eavesdropping On You​

⚡Portable CO Detector

I believe in bringing a carbon monoxide detector whenever you travel, there have too many horror stories of people getting accidentally poisoned (or dying) because of an unknown leak.

The New York Times Wirecutter recommends this First Alert CO Detector that's available for $42 but this Ansbell 6 in 1 CO Detector is on sale for a little over $20 if you enter the promo code GOD82N72.

It's a very inexpensive insurance policy.

📜 Are Trump Accounts Any Good?

Short answer - no.

I'd take the $1,000 per kid if I qualified (plus whatever other extras people like the Dells are throwing in) but I wouldn't put more into them. There are better options.

Jesse, a former aerospace engineer turned financial advisor, from The Best Interest breaks it down:

​👉 Trump Accounts: Not As Good As Advertised​

What did you think of today's email?​
✅ I Loved It! 🟨 It Was Okay ❌ Not My Favorite​

Talk to you soon!

Jim

PS. Bernie Sanders proposed a 5% wealth tax on billionaires that includes a $3,000 stimulus check to Americans earning less than $150k (among a slew of other things). Small chance it'll pass but always fascinating to see.

​(see archive of previous emails)​