Good morning Reader!

The stock market is doing well but regular Americans aren't.

The S&P 500 is up nearly 9% year to date but...

... consumer confidence is not good. And as long as the Iran war drags on, the longer oil prices will remain high. And high fuel prices are bad for consumers.

I read someone make the claim that for ever week of the Iran war, we'll have a month of high inflation.

While the equation is never that simple, we're seeing inflation and it's heavily influenced by higher fuel prices.

As a result, we're seeing a possibility that the Fed raises interest rates this year.

All this is to say I think it's important that you play financial defense. Especially if you are in an industry where your job may be at risk. Check out the first post I share below.

💲 Best Bank Rates (as of 5/20):

💰 High Yield Savings - 4.00% APY + $400 from SoFi​

🏛️ Short Term Treasury - VBIL 3.58%, SGOV 3.54%

📀 Certificates of Deposit (see all 40k+ rates)

🔍 We list nationwide rates, CD Valet has local rates which can be higher so click through to double check for your state.

• Best: 9% from American Airlines FCU (9mo Anniversary Special - click All CDs)
• 6 months: 4.50% from ValorFI Heroes (Featured CDs)
• 12 months: 4.15% from LendingClub Bank (11mo)
• 60 Months: 4.10% from Morgan Stanley Private Bank​

💵 Bank Bonuses - $450 US Bank, $400 Sofi, $500 Bank of America, $400 BMO, $1500 Raisin & more​

​(View this email as a webpage)​

🚨 How to Prepare for a Recession

There's no arguing that playing financial defense is a good idea right now. I don't know if there will be a recession but given how things look right now, you will not regret taking some of these steps even if a pullback never occurs.

It's like bringing an umbrella - if it rains, you're covered. If it doesn't, well, you're still covered.

​👉 How to Prepare for a Recession in 2026​

🧳 Have Travel Plans Changed For You?

I was quoted in an Associated Press article last week about how our summer travel plans have been somewhat scaled back because of higher prices (especially fuel).

I'm curious if you've done the same?

​👉 Higher fuel prices have some Americans scaling back their travel plans​

🗞️ Money Stuff I Found Interesting

Here are some interesting articles you may have missed:

• ⭐ The SpaceX IPO... It's Worse Than You Think [Visual Finance] - Don't miss this one, it's an educational and entertaining 15-minute video.
• ​The Question I Ask Myself At The End of Every Day [Ryan Holiday]
• ​The Real Reason You Need a Financial Advisor [The Purpose Code]
• ​Was There A Trump-Xi Summit? How Could You Tell? [Drezner's World]
• ​Thirty Aprils [Todd Bracher]

💵 Good Deals If You Need Them

• My friend Cody's book, Retire by 30, is only 99 cents on Kindle and $10 paperback. Price will go up next Monday.
• You can get Monarch Money for $50% off​
• ​Origin, a personal AI financial advisor, is only $1​
• ​Firstleaf has 6 wines for $40​
• ​AARP is only $11/yr​
• ​DeleteMe is 20% off​

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

Talk to you soon!

Jim

PS. 🟠🔵🟠🔵!

​(see archive of previous emails)​