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I have been writing about money for nearly 20 years and believe that personal finance is one of those subjects that is made complicated because it benefits a select few. Our aim is to help make it easier to understand so that regular folks can use what we teach to take control of their money and build wealth.
Good morning Reader! The big financial news of the last week was Anthropic filing their S-1, which means their IPO will happen soon (ticker: ANT). The earliest it could happen is November 16th but I won't be lining up to buy shares. I'm working on a Youtube video how IPOs aren't as exciting as they are made out to be... anything specific you want me to discuss? (full disclosure, several years ago I invested in a fund that got shares of Anthropic... buying at IPO isn't great, buying a few...
Good morning Reader! A year ago (Sept 2025), Moody's Mark Zandi said that their data showed the probability of a recession at nearly 50%. But one has not emerged (yet). Remember, we generally consider two quarters of negative GDP "growth" for it to be officially a recession... so we could theoretically be in one and not know it. (GDP grew 2.2% in the 2nd quarter of 2026) Interest rates have been creeping up (though today and tomorrow's Fed meeting is likely to keep rates unchanged). Energy...
Good morning Reader! We had our first cold week in Maryland where temperatures were in the high 30s at night. We live in a home built in the 1980s with an oil furnace that burns #2 heating oil - which is now 124% higher than a year ago. We have a heat pump too, for the shoulder seasons, but the price per kilowatt-hour has jumped too... it's something we'll all have to contend with this winter. Regardless of how you heat your home, if you need help check to see if your state offers any...