Archive

Browse through all of our previously written publications.

What's New

THE ECONOMY & MAIN STREET

$377 in extra interest a year — that's the price of one Fed hiking cycle

Sep 16, 2026

•

1 min read

$377 in extra interest a year — that's the price of one Fed hiking cycle

On the $6,610 average American balance, a 5.7-point APR jump lands exactly there in pure interest — before today's hike even hits

MONEY & MARKETS

The prior five years cost $9,430. These five cost $21,911

Sep 15, 2026

•

1 min read

The prior five years cost $9,430. These five cost $21,911

That is more than double the damage of the entire 2016–2021 stretch, in roughly the same number of years.

COST OF LIVING

The Fed raises rates Wednesday, and the median payment is already $2,134

Sep 14, 2026

•

1 min read

The Fed raises rates Wednesday, and the median payment is already $2,134

It bought them nothing but a higher interest rate — and the Fed votes Wednesday on whether to push it further.

Money & Markets

Aug 21, 2026

•

1 min read

The buyer that just walked away

The level it left tells you everything about this week.

CPI came in clean. The 30-year didn't care.

Aug 12, 2026

•

1 min read

CPI came in clean. The 30-year didn't care.

Inflation matched Wall Street's forecast on the nose. The long bond stayed at 2007 levels anyway.

Your 401(k) had its best week in four months last Friday

Aug 11, 2026

•

1 min read

Your 401(k) had its best week in four months last Friday

The reason it happened is the part that stings a little.

The Social Security trust fund deadline just moved up one quarter

Jul 13, 2026

•

1 min read

The Social Security trust fund deadline just moved up one quarter

Last month the Trustees moved the deadline up yet again. The average retiree loses $458 a month the moment it happens.

Jul 10, 2026

•

1 min read

The yield that preceded the last crash

Same level. Different Fed. Same warning.

One in eight dollars charged to American credit cards hasn't been paid in three months

Jul 8, 2026

•

2 min read

One in eight dollars charged to American credit cards hasn't been paid in three months

The Great Recession peak was 13.7%. The gap between that low point and right now is shrinking fast.

Cost of Living

What your AC will cost before you run it

Jul 1, 2026

•

2 min read

What your AC will cost before you run it

The estimate came out before the heat dome did.

Your July 4th cookout costs $21 more than the 2019 version

Jun 29, 2026

•

1 min read

Your July 4th cookout costs $21 more than the 2019 version

Ground beef is up 5.5% from last year and buns jumped 7.7% — here's where the extra $21 went.

Your neighborhood's next build just stopped

Jun 17, 2026

•

1 min read

Your neighborhood's next build just stopped

Builders pulled back the hardest since the lockdown.

Jun 5, 2026

•

1 min read

The most expensive room in healthcare

Same procedure. Triple the bill. Depending on the door.

May 23, 2026

•

1 min read

Same house. Six years later.

The walls didn't move. The math did.

May 15, 2026

•

1 min read

The seat didn't change. The price did

Tuesday's CPI buried this on page four.

Government & Power

$500 a month — the projected Social Security cut when the trust fund hits zero

Jun 24, 2026

•

1 min read

$500 a month — the projected Social Security cut when the trust fund hits zero

The 2026 Trustees Report has a date, a percentage, and a monthly dollar figure — and every one of them is worse than last year's report.

The number that got buried while everyone watched the Fed yesterday

Jun 18, 2026

•

1 min read

The number that got buried while everyone watched the Fed yesterday

At $88 billion a month, the debt bill passed the defense budget — and the Fed may not be done raising rates.

Jun 9, 2026

•

1 min read

What 100 days of war cost your family

Moody's did the arithmetic. It's bigger than you think.

Jun 2, 2026

•

1 min read

The biggest workforce cut in 70 years

And it’s not at a Fortune 500.

May 19, 2026

•

1 min read

The U.S. can't outrun this payment

It's bigger than what Washington spends on defense.

May 12, 2026

•

1 min read

It doubled in three years

Quietly. While everyone watched something else.

The Economy & Main Street

The paycheck versus prices bet just moved

Aug 18, 2026

•

1 min read

The paycheck versus prices bet just moved

Your neighbors have decided who wins the next year.

Jul 9, 2026

•

1 min read

The American Dream just changed hands

Four years ago, this wasn't happening.

Canada and Mexico dwarf China in U.S. trade — by nearly 4 to 1

Jul 3, 2026

•

1 min read

Canada and Mexico dwarf China in U.S. trade — by nearly 4 to 1

That $1.59 trillion covers auto parts, Canadian oil, and a huge share of the fresh food on store shelves — all of it now under annual review.

49.5: consumer confidence lower than any point during COVID

Jun 30, 2026

•

1 min read

49.5: consumer confidence lower than any point during COVID

The University of Michigan has run this survey for 74 years. It has never looked like this.

Real wages just hit -0.7% — in February they were +1.3%

Jun 25, 2026

•

1 min read

Real wages just hit -0.7% — in February they were +1.3%

A two-percentage-point swing in ninety days — the Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed it this morning.

109 days: the Strait of Hormuz closed, and 20 million barrels a day went to zero

Jun 19, 2026

•

1 min read

109 days: the Strait of Hormuz closed, and 20 million barrels a day went to zero

$4 gas, $126 oil, and 109 straight days of zero flow through the world's busiest oil chokepoint.

People & Society

The gap between fear and fact just opened up

May 7, 2026

•

1 min read

The gap between fear and fact just opened up

It got safer. You felt the opposite.

Property & Rights

No posts found