Good morning Reader!

I've been investing for almost thirty years and in that time, the market has done some crazy things. The longer you invest, the more often you'll see extreme volatility.

Last week was just the latest in a long line of big market moves that should make you do absolutely nothing with your portfolio.

Initially, the stock market reacted favorably to the midterm election results. Then it didn't, with the S&P 500 falling 4%+. But, there was a big recovery at the start of this week and now the S&P 500 is still up close to 10% on the year.

This is all to say that the market is volatile and here are 7 things I do to avoid panicking. I wrote it earlier in the year, when Trump threatened to annex Greenland, but I review it every time the market swings this wildly.

If you want to do something, now might be a good time to review your asset allocation and adjust anything that's out of whack.

💲 Best Bank Rates (as of 11/10):​
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💰 High Yield Savings - 4.40% APY + $400 Bonus from SoFi​

🏛️ Short Term Treasury - VBIL 3.87%, VUSXX 3.97%, SGOV 3.84%

🏛️ I Bonds - 5.51% (Nov 2026 - Apr 2027)

(Treasury interest is not subject to state/local taxes)

💵 Bank Bonuses - $1000 Raisin, $500 Bank of America, $800 from E*Trade, $450 US Bank, $200 Barclays, $400 SoFi & more (click here if you want to get emails of new bank offers)

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🏛️ I Bonds vs. TIPS

Series I Bonds now yield 5.51% if you purchased them this month (through April of next year) and TIPS offers 2.4%, but you actually get more from TIPS because of how they're set up (and priced).

That's because TIPS yields are "real yields," or what you get above inflation if you hold until maturity.

If you didn't know that and are thinking about I Bonds, you should watch my latest YouTube video to learn all the other differences between TIPS and I Bonds:

​👉 Why 5.51% vs 2.4% Isn't What It Looks Like​

(Click here if you want to be emailed when I put out a new Youtube video)

🤭 Money Advice I'd Give My 20-year-old Self

At 46, I've made a lot of good and bad money decisions.

In my latest Youtube video (uploaded yesterday), I share seven lessons I'd want my 20-year-old self to know.

Part of me also recorded this for our kids, as they're now closer to that age than I am. 🤣

Let me know what you think!

​👉 Money Advice I'd Give My 20yo Self​

🗞️ Money Stuff I Found Interesting

Here are some interesting articles you may have missed:

• ⭐ AI Is Causing Signal Collapse Everywhere All at Once [The Last Software Engineer?] - AI can fake the signals we use to judge quality, which makes assessing quality all the more difficult.
• 🖖 How ancient combat may explain why 90% of us are right-handed [BBC Science Focus] - TIL primates aren't overwhelmingly right- or left-handed.
• ​Perhaps Connecting Fridges to the Internet Was a Bad Idea [The Atlantic] - Connected devices are great until someone wants to hack them.
• ​Generational Wealth Fuels Record-High Levels of Cash Sales Among First-Time Buyers [Realtor] - When mortgage rates are this high, Bank of Mom and Dad steps in.

💵 Good Deals If You Need Them

• ​Fetch is a free app that gives you points for snapping receipts. Get 2,000 points after your first receipt. (here's our review)
• ​WisePal will negotiate your existing bills for you. You only pay a percentage if they succeed. Give it a try!​
• ​Empower is a great free tool for tracking net worth.
• ​Boldin is fantastic for retirement planning.
• ​Monarch Money is 50% off with code SMARTMONEY
• ​50% off Quicken Simplifi - 7-day trial and then just $3.49 a month for Quicken Simplifi.
• 👀 Double check if you're overpaying for car insurance (it's free, you should do this regularly)

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

Talk to you soon!

Jim

PS. Both Vanguard and Fidelity issued "sobering" 10-year outlook for U.S. stocks. Because of high prices now, both say that we should expect returns lower returns over the next decade. Vanguard says 4.8%-6.8% a year and Fidelity believes we'll get 5.8% a year for the next 20 years.

​(see archive of previous emails)​