Minds Over Money

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [15:10] And this week’s financial planning topic is Imagine the Possibilities. 🔮

📈 [0:51] The first headline, “Inflation Causes IRS to Raise Tax Brackets and Standard Deduction by 7%”, is an article that explores the recent announcement of adjustments to the tax brackets and some of the metrics used to determine tax deductions.

💰 [5:11] The second headline, “IRS to Make Largest Increase Ever to 401(k) Contribution Limit”, discusses the announcement that will increase the contribution limits on all retirement accounts due to inflation adjustments.

⚖️ [9:11] The Final headline, “Global Economic Growth is Weighed Down by Inflation and Rising Interest Rates”, is a deep dive into the recent economic data from the third quarter around the globe that is pointing to a definite slowdown if not a recession.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [11:38] And this week’s financial planning topic is Reducing the Pain from Required Retirement Withdrawals This Year. 💸

🛍️ [0:50] The first headline, “Retailers Kick Off Black Friday in October… Again”, is an article that explores how the major retailers Walmart, Target, and Amazon, are all starting Black Friday shopping events to tackle inventory surplus and lagging sales figures.

💰 [3:58] The second headline, “IRS Delays New Guidelines for Inherited IRAs”, discusses the recent ruling to delay the guidelines stated last year for how required minimum distributions are to be handled with inherited IRAs.

📈 [7:34] The Final headline, “Fed on Track for Another Large Interest Rate Hike After Jobs Report”, is a deep dive into the likelihood of another 0.75% interest rate hike at the Fed’s meeting next month with a resiliently tight labor market, wage growth, and persistent inflation.

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [17:35] And this week’s financial planning topic is How Retirement Income Guardrails Can Provide Peace of Mind. 🚧

💼 [0:45] The first headline, “Worker’s Changing Attitudes Tighten the Labor Market”, is an article that explores how workers are using their bargaining power provided them with the tight labor market to help negotiate higher pay and better working conditions.

💸 [4:26] The second headline, “How the Fed’s Rate Increase Will Hit American’s Monthly Budgets”, discusses the most recent rate increase from the Federal Reserve and how it will have trickledown effects on mortgages, car loans, credit cards, and other monthly budget items.

📈 [10:59] The Final headline, “Central Banks May Stoke Risk By Raising Interest Rates Together”, is a deep dive into the potential effects the tightening of monetary policy around the world will have on the global economy.

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [17:35] And this week’s financial planning topic is Focus on What You Can Control. 👀

📈 [0:45] The first headline, “As Mortgage Rates Top 6% More Borrowers Choose Adjustable-Rate Loans”, is an article that explores the recent increase in adjustable-rate mortgage applications as rates top 6% for the first time since November of 2008.

⚠️ [4:26] The second headline, “Dollar’s Rise Spells Trouble for Global Economies”, discusses the historic rally the U.S. dollar has been on this year, largely due in part to the Federal Reserve’s interest rate increases and how the rise in the dollar is affecting emerging market economies as well the central banks of developed economies.

🧾 [10:59] The Final headline, “High Inflation Brings Changes to Your Tax Bill”, is a deep dive into the potential changes to tax thresholds, retirement contributions, and tax brackets for the tax year 2023 due to historic levels of inflation.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [12:43] And this week’s financial planning topic is The Greatest Fear. 😨

🚢 [0:49] The first headline, “Ocean Shipping Rates Have Plunged 60% This Year”, is an article that explores the plunge in cost to ship a 40-foot container from Asia to the West Coast of the United States and how it relates to inflation and the rise in prices for consumers.

🚀 [3:43] The second headline, “NASA’s Artemis I Moon Launch is Delayed Further as Engineers Analyze Fuel Leak”, discusses the two recent delays in NASA’s first mission for the Artemis Moon program which seeks to put the humans back on the moon after more than 45 years.

💼 [8:11] The Final headline, “August Jobs Report Shows Labor Market Has Cooled but Remains Solid”, is a deep dive into the relative cooling that the U.S. labor market has been exhibiting over the last few months and what effect if any it will have on the Federal Reserve’s policy to curb inflation and find a “soft landing” for the economy.

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [15:40] And this week’s financial planning topic is Don’t Just Do Something – Stand There! 🧍

🚚 [0:45] The first headline, “Warehouse Bottlenecks are Snarling U.S. Supply Chains”, is an article that explores the logistics bottlenecks that are plaguing inland transportation networks as the supply chain struggles continue in the U.S.

🛰️ [3:57] The second headline, “Data Storage is Reaching the Limit of Physics”, discusses how the advancement of digital data storage is butting up against the limits of physics and how engineers are proposing new ideas to keep up with the appetite for digital data storage.

📉 [10:14] The Final headline, “A Different Take on the U.S. Economy: Maybe it Isn’t Really Shrinking”, is a deep dive into comparative data sets of gross domestic product and gross domestic income for the first half of the year that might suggest the U.S. economy is in more of a stall than a recession.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 2 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [11:26] And this week’s financial planning topic is Dangers Avoided: why having a professional financial guide is worth it. ☠️

📱 [0:49] The first headline, “Spam Texts are Surging. Here’s How to Avoid Being Swindled.”, is an article that explores the surge in robotext spam that opens recipients to potential identity theft and how to protect yourself when you receive one.

📈 [3:44] The second headline, “Fed Officials See Need for Continued Interest Rate Increases, But Less Certainty Over Destination”, is a deep dive into the minutes from the July Federal Reserve policy meeting and what we can expect of future interest rate hikes and policy changes.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [11:26] And this week’s financial planning topic is Why You Should Consider Roth Conversions. 💸

🛍️ [0:49] The first headline, “U.S. Consumer Sentiment Improved in August from Early Summer Low”, is an article that explores the University of Michigan’s consumer confidence index and how it shows consumers have gradually gained confidence over the summer when it comes to the economic conditions in the United States.

📈 [3:44] The second headline, “Social Security Benefits are Heading for the Biggest Increase in 40 Years”, discusses how the Social Security Administration is likely going to increase benefits for disabled people and retirees by roughly 9% due to inflation, the largest increase since 1981.

🧑‍🏭🧑‍💼🧑‍🍳 [6:21] Our final headline, “Labor Shortage is a Vexing Challenge for U.S. Economy” is a deep dive into the current labor shortage and how it is a challenge not only for consumers and businesses but also for the Federal Reserve and their attempt at reducing inflation and increasing unemployment without sending us into a recession, or what is known as a ‘soft economic landing’.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [11:24] And this week’s financial planning topic is Avoid an Aimless Retirement. 🎯

🎟️ [0:49] The first headline, “What the $1.3 Billion Mega Millions Jackpot Reveals About the Economy”, is an article that explores the correlation between an uptick in lottery ticket sales, outsized lottery jackpots, and economic uncertainty.

💻 [3:41] The second headline, “Direct to Consumer Sales are Fueling Supply-Chain Tech Growth”, discusses how the boom in direct-to-consumer sales, in large part due to shifting shopping trends resulting from Covid-19, is providing supply-chain tech companies fertile grounds for growth.

📈 [7:04] Our final headline, “Snapshot of Jobs Market as It Reaches Pandemic Recovery Milestone” is a deep dive into the current jobs market as it has recently gained back all of the 22 million jobs that it shed at the beginning of the pandemic, the recovery has not been even for all industries.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [17:13] And this week’s financial planning topic is Don’t Give Up the Ship, How to Maintain Course During Stormy Economic Conditions. ⛵

💸 [0:52] The first headline, “Consumers Have Powered Through the Pandemic and Inflation… Until Now”, is an article that explores how U.S. consumers were able to power through two and a half years of pandemic and now decades high inflation due to reduced costs early in the pandemic and historic government stimulus, but not any longer as inflation has eaten into their spending power and a recession looms on the horizon.

🏙️ [5:30] The second headline, “The Microchip Era is Giving Way to the Megachip Age”, discusses how the microchip industry is innovating new ways to combine a stack of microchips, much like a modern skyscraper, in order to advance processing power to make our gadgets faster and more efficient.

📉 [12:10] Our final headline, “If This is a Recession We Might Not Know for Months” is a deep dive into the National Bureau of Economic Research’s criteria for a recession and why even if we are currently in one we might not know for months.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [17:12] And this week’s financial planning topic is How to Prosper During Market Swings.

🖥️ [0:49] The first headline, “How to Spot Fake Reviews and Shady Ratings on Amazon”, is an article that explores Amazon’s battle against fake reviews, and reviews for financial compensation that cloud the integrity of items on the largest online retailer.

🚌 [6:00] The second headline, “Retailers Need to Ace Their Back to School Season”, discusses how the retail industry desperately needs to have a strong back-to-school shopping season to help make up for lackluster performance in the first part of the year.

💸 [10:36] Our final headline, “Interest Rate Pain from Higher Inflation Has Barely Begun” is a deep dive into what might happen over the next few years if the Federal Reserve fails to tamp down inflation to its two percent target.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [17:17] And this week’s financial planning topic is Maintain Your Focus: How to Handle Short-Term Volatility.

📊 [0:49] The first headline, “Diverging Jobs Data Raise Questions About Labor Market Health”, is an article that explores how the two different labor surveys in the U.S. are telling different stories regarding the health of the labor market.

👃 [5:34] The second headline, “High Tech Smell Sensors Aim to Sniff Out Disease, Explosives, and Even Moods”, discusses how startups are using advances in olfactory sensors and artificial intelligence in numerous applications from healthcare to airport security.

🧞 [10:41] Our final headline, “Beware Wishful Thinking About Inflation and Recession” is a deep dive into the Fed’s monetary tightening and a reality check surrounding the likelihood of the Fed achieving a soft landing

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [12:00] And this week’s financial planning topic is Survivor’s Guide to Bear Markets. 📑

⛏️ [0:45] The first headline, “Miners are Relying More on Robots. Now They Need Workers to Operate Them”, is an article that explores how mining companies are turning to automated trucks and trains to help with efficiency and safety but are running into a digital talent squeeze when it comes to staffing.

🛍️ [5:04] The second headline, “Large Retailers are Getting Hit Hardest by Overstocking”, discusses how general merchandise stores like Target and Walmart, are dealing with inventory issues stemming from their over-ordering in order to get high-demand products on the shelves during the pandemic.

📈 [8:14] Our final headline, “Jobs Report Could Keep Fed on Track for 0.75 Point Rate Hike in July” is a deep dive into the most recent jobs report and the impact it may or may not have on the Federal Reserve as they gear up to meet for another meeting later this month.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [21:23] And this week’s financial planning topic is There Should Be No “Financial Emergencies”. ⚠️

💥 [0:47] The first headline, “Cooling Demand for Goods Threatens to Turn Pandemic Boom into Bust”, is an article that explores how the pandemic boom for some manufacturers like chip makers and other electronics could turn to bust after inventory surplus and changing consumer purchasing habits in addition to inflation eating into spending power.

📱 [7:34] The second headline, “Worried About Personal Data Leaks? Here’s How to Lock Down Your Phone”, discusses how to make sure your smartphone is secure and not unknowingly sharing your personal data with your apps or advertisers.

📉 [11:12] Our final headline, “If the U.S. is in a Recession, It’s a Very Strange One” is a deep dive into the economic standing in the U.S. and a look back at previous economic downturns to see how our current economic troubles compare to the previous 12 recessions since the end of World War II.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [14:57] And this week’s financial planning topic is What Today’s Retirees Want Future Retirees to Know. 🔮

🚆 [0:48] The first headline, “U.S. Port Backups are Extending into Freight Rail Supply Chains”, is an article that explores how the ongoing port backups in Southern California are extending into intermodal supply chains at rail yards thousands of miles away.

📉 [3:57] The second headline, “Consumer Sentiment at Record Low is Another Ominous Sign for Economy”, discusses how the University of Michigan’s consumer confidence survey had its lowest reading since 1952 with more economic data pointing to a slowdown of the world's largest economy and a potential recession next year.

⛽ [9:06] Our final headline, “What is The Federal Gas Tax Holiday, and How Much Would You Save at the Pump?” is a deep dive into the proposed federal gas tax holiday and an analysis of how much savings American drivers can expect at the pump this summer.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [19:16] And this week’s financial planning topic is Why a Retirement System is Better Than Just Having Retirement Goals. 📑

📈 [0:47] The first headline, “What the Fed Rate Hike Means for Your Savings, Credit Cards, and Loans”, is an article that explores how the most recent rate increase by the Federal Reserve will have an impact on your personal finances.

💸 [5:58] The second headline, “Recession Probability Soars as Inflation Worsens”, discusses how a recent survey of economists has increased the chances of a recession dramatically due to runaway inflation and Fed rate increases.

🚚 [10:14] Our final headline, “Self-Driving Big Rigs are Coming, Is America Ready?”, is a deep dive into the autonomous semi-truck companies and their prospects to start running long-haul routes in the sunbelt states.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [15:21] And this week’s financial planning topic is Don’t Make These Common Retirement Planning Mistakes. 💸

🍔 [0:47] The first headline, “Inflation is Heating Up Summertime Expenses”, is an article that explores how inflationary pressures have increased the costs associated with some of our most beloved summertime activities.

🔋 [4:32] The second headline, “Old Electric Vehicles Batteries are getting a Second Life”, discusses how the auto industry, battery manufacturers, and battery recyclers are trying to create a three-stage life cycle for EV batteries.

📱 [10:16] Our final headline, “Chip Shortage Threatens Cutting Edge Tech Needed for Next Generation Smartphones”, is a deep dive into the potential cutting edge chip shortage for the two major chip manufacturers TSMC and Samsung over the next 2-3 years due to a shortage of manufacturing machines.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [11:07] And this week’s financial planning topic is The 4 Lessons of Successful Investing from legendary investor Benjamin Graham. ✔️

🧾 [0:48] The first headline, “Restaurants Add New Fees to Your Check to Counter Inflation”, is an article that explores how some restaurants and other businesses have started adding various service charges to help battle inflationary pressures on their bottom line.

🚗 [3:03] The second headline, “Car Insurance Bills are Rising with More Increases to Come”, discusses how many insurance companies have started to raise their premiums in response to the rising inflation environment.

📈 [6:49] Our final headline, “The May Jobs Report Keeps Fed on Track for Half Point Interest Rate Increase”, is a deep dive into the likelihood that the Fed raises interest rates another half-point at their June and July and what might be in store for future meetings.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [12:32] And this week’s financial planning topic is The Right Retirement Mindset: how discipline, faith, and courage will help you follow your plan, not the markets and your emotions. 😰

⛱️ [0:54] The first headline, “Summer Worker Shortage Means Things Will Be Closed… Again”, is an article that explores how the tight labor market and abundance of unfilled jobs has created limited capacity, reduced hours, and even closures of some of our favorite summer activities.

🤖 [5:08] The second headline, “Robots Pick Up More Work at Busy Factories”, discusses how many manufacturers have turned to automated robots to help fill open jobs in order to keep up with demand and rising costs.

🛒 [8:32] Our final headline, “Facing Inflation-Weary Shoppers, Grocers Fight Price Increases”, is a deep dive into the unlikely ally against inflationary pressures in the food industry, the grocery chains themselves.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [17:49] And this week’s financial planning topic is The Goose and The Golden Eggs: How to Turn Your Savings into Retirement Income. 🦢

💸 [0:56] The first headline, “High Inflation Slowing Growth Raises Risk of Global Downturn”, is an article that explores how stagflationary pressures are putting economic markets around the globe at risk for a potential recession.

🏠 [7:05] The second headline, “U.S. Home Sales Cool Amid Higher Rates”, discusses how the red-hot housing market in the U.S. is finally showing signs of cooling due to higher interest rates and record-high average home prices.

🪙 [10:51] Our final headline, “Crypto Meltdown Exposes Hollowness of Its Libertarian Promise”, is a deep dive into the recent implosion of TerraUSD and Luna cryptocurrencies and the broader cryptocurrency market in the face of high inflation and increased stock market volatility.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [14:27] And this week’s financial planning topic is Don’t Be Tempted: Disciplined Investors Will Be Rewarded. 🤑

📒 [0:47] The first headline, “U.S. Economy Grows Moderately Amid High Inflation and Ukraine Invasion”, is an article that explores the details of the first quarter of 2022’s Beige Book report from the Fed and what lies ahead for the economy.

📺 [3:46] The second headline, “Netflix’s Password Crackdown is Coming”, discusses how Netflix is exploring ways to monetize password moochers after its first quarter of losing subscribers and missing its earnings expectations.

🌞 [8:12] Our final headline, “A Different Kind of Solar Power Attracts Attention”, is a deep dive into how startups, universities, and governments are looking into concentrated solar-thermal power as an alternative to traditional solar power from panels and legacy fossil fuels.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [11:31] And this week’s financial planning topic is Get Ready for Higher Prices. 💸

📈 [0:47] The first headline, “How to Adjust Your Brain for 8.5% Inflation”, is an article that explores how consumers can help adjust their financial behavior to get used to higher prices on everyday purchases due to inflation.

💳 [3:44] The second headline, “Credit Card Spending Belies Consumer’s Glum View of the Economy”, discusses how despite consumers vocalizing their negative outlook on the economy their spending habits are telling a different story.

☢️ [6:21] Our final headline, “Utilities Want to Convert Coal Plants to Nuclear, but Skeptics Abound”, is a deep dive into how governments, utility companies, and startups are pursuing the possibilities of converting legacy coal-fired power plants to nuclear ones using small modular nuclear reactors or SMRs.

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [12:11] And this week’s financial planning topic is Everyone Has a ‘Plan’. 🥊

🚗 [0:47] The first headline, “Looking to Buy an EV, Better Get on a Waitlist”, is an article that explores how electric car manufacturers are utilizing waitlists to better gauge consumer interests and build buzz around their new models.

💵 [4:15] The second headline, “Crypto Like Digital Dollar at Least Several Years Away”, discusses how the federal government has been researching the benefits and obstacles of creating a digital U.S. dollar.

📈 [7:20] Our final headline, “Economists Seek Recession Clues in the Yield Curve”, is a deep dive into a slump signal that has been used to intuit future recessions, the inverted yield curve, and how the fed is watching these indicators with regards to interest rate movements.

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [16:16] And this week’s financial planning topic is You Have Questions We Have Answers. 🤔

🛒 [0:47] The first headline, “With Inflation Not Letting Up, Shoppers Cut Back on Staples”, is an article that explores how inflation is starting to affect U.S. consumers’ shopping habits by cutting back on pandemic “luxuries” for private label necessities due to price increases.

🔒 [4:50] The second headline, “You Need Two Factor Authentication, but Some Types are Safer Than Others”, discusses how two-factor authentication is the most secure way to protect your online information but there are security trade-offs between the 3 different types.

🤝 [10:40] Our final headline, “401(k) Savings Plans Get a Boost in Bipartisan Retirement Bill”, is a deep dive into a recently passed bill from the House of Representatives proposing new regulations to retirement plans that hope to spur more retirement savings as well as changes to required distributions and catchup savings rules.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [17:21] And this week’s financial planning topic is Recalculate Your path. 🗺️🧭

⛽ [0:44] The first headline, “Gas Prices Shoot Up at Fastest Rate on Record”, is an article that explores how normal gasoline prices have risen at the fastest rate on record drawing similarities to the 1980s.

💸 [4:26] The second headline, “Capital Spending Boom Helps Raise Productivity and Contain Costs”, discusses how the capital spending boom in the past 2 years is helping raise employee productivity as well as containing inflationary pressures.

🕸️ [8:09] Our final headline, “Supply Chains Become Supply Webs”, is a deep dive into how the pandemic, geopolitical events, and natural disasters have plagued supply chains over the last few years and how some companies and governments are attempting to strengthen supply networks globally.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [14:24] And this week’s financial planning topic is Goals Without Deadlines Are Just Dreams. ✔️

📱 [0:42] The first headline, “Beware of QR Code Scams”, is an article that explores how malicious scam artists are utilizing the QR codes that seem to be everywhere since the start of the pandemic to phish for unsuspecting users’ personal information.

⛱️ [5:33] The second headline, “Part-Time Retirement Programs Are on the Rise”, discusses how some companies are utilizing phased retirement programs to help employees transition into retirement with part-time pay and full-time benefits to help onboard their replacements.

📈 [9:32] Our final headline, “What the Fed Interest Rate Increase Means for You”, is a deep dive into how the recent increase in the federal funds rate will affect every American household from the ways we borrow money to the ways we save.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [13:33] And this week’s financial planning topic is Cover the Basics - Why Worry About Investment Performance When You Don't Have the Basics Covered? 📝

🪙 [0:45] The first headline, “Will Financial Stability Get Nickel and Dimed”, is an article that explores how the steep increase in Nickel and other commodity prices due to the war in Ukraine is threatening the global financial stability and draw eerie similarities to price disparities of mortgage-backed securities from 2008.

📈 [4:18] The second headline, “Why Your Electric Bill is Soaring – And Likely to go Higher”, discusses how the current global supply shortage of natural gas, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, is causing higher home heating and electricity bills for may American households and are likely to go higher still.

📱 [7:11] Our final headline, “How to Find the Best Trade-In Deals for Your Old iPhone or Android Phone”, is a deep dive into how you can find the best trade-in deal for an old device and pocket some cash for date night.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [16:54] And this week’s financial planning topic is Full Value - How to Get the Most Out of Your Financial Plan. 💰

📈 [0:50] The first headline, “Strong Hiring, Low Unemployment Point to Economy Making Post Pandemic Pivot”, is an article that explores how strong hiring and low unemployment are helping the economy make its post-pandemic pivot, but new threats have emerged like the invasion of Ukraine and rising interest rates.

🔮 [6:52] The second headline, “Will Inflation Fall? Any Pullback Depends on These Sectors”, discusses how current inflationary pressures hinge on a select few sectors that could provide insight into where inflation will go next.

🌊 [12:11] Our final headline, “Using the Ocean’s Power to Fight Climate Change”, is a deep dive into how some scientists and entrepreneurs are researching and testing new ways to combat climate change by reducing atmospheric CO2 using the ocean and marine plankton.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [15:12] And this week’s financial planning topic is The Secret to Success in Retirement. 💯

🚗 [0:44] The first headline, “Renting a Car is Still Going to Be Hard This Summer”, is an article that explores how the rental car shortage from 2021 is likely to continue this year as more Americans look to travel in the spring and summer and the micro-chip shortage persists.

🛢️ [4:32] The second headline, “Oil Price Surge Threatens U.S. Growth”, discusses how the current surge in oil prices, due to supply issues and the invasion of Ukraine, are potentially going to sap growth from the U.S. economy as consumers spend more on gasoline and home heating instead of goods and services.

🪖 [9:28] Our final headline, “Car Parts, Chips, Sunflower Oil: War in Ukraine Threatens New Shortages”, is a deep dive into the various disruptions that have occurred due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Everything from wire harnesses in cars, sunflower oil, and rare earth elements are being affected and supply chain issues are expected to intensify.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [13:35] And this week’s financial planning topic is Don’t Worry, Concentrate on What You Can Control in Retirement. 😟

💸 [0:52] The first headline, “Fiscal Stimulus is Turning into a Fiscal Drag”, is an article that explores how the fiscal stimulus that helped keep many businesses and consumers out of financial trouble during the first two years of the pandemic may start to hurt growth in the economy because the fiscal spigot is turning off.

🚆 [3:11] The second headline, “US Import Surge is Skipping the Train”, discusses how companies are resorting to using semi-trucks to move more and more of the imports coming into the country as opposed to the more traditional railroad options despite the higher cost. With rail becoming more unreliable due to supply chain bottlenecks semi-trucks are dominating intermodal transportation.

🪙 [6:10] Our final headline, “NFTs, Crypto, and Web3 are Multilevel Marketing Schemes for a New Generation”, is a deep dive into the world of blockchain technology and the various uses, tokens, coins, and inevitable scams.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [16:20] And this week’s financial planning topic is the keys to Living a Balanced Retirement. ⚖️

🚢 [0:48] The first headline, “Ship Backup at Southern California Ports is Receding”, is an article that explores how the current backlog of ships off the coast of southern California is starting to show signs of easing up, which will be key for the supply chain issues and inflation pressures to abate.

🔋 [3:57] The second headline, “Where is There More Lithium to Power Cars and Phones”, discusses how a few companies are vying for the chance to start lithium processing plants on the Salton Sea in California to start producing commercial-grade lithium for batteries.

📈 [9:09] Our final headline, “What is Inflation and What Causes It”, is a deep dive into what exactly is inflation and what current economic stresses are causing it.

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [18:38] And this week’s financial planning topic is Time to Think and Dream. 💭

📈 [0:47] The first headline, “Strong Jobs Report Points to Likely Fed Rate Rise in March and May”, is an article that explores how the Federal Reserve is looking at the recent strong jobs report to determine when and how much to raise interest rates this spring.

🛒 [4:15] The second headline, “Two Years into the Pandemic, Shoppers are Still Hoarding”, discusses how the American consumer has changed their shopping habits due to circumstances of the pandemic and rising inflation.

🤖 [11:38] Our final headline, “Why the Metaverse Will Change the Way You Work”, is a deep dive into how the “Metaverse” may change the way we work, collaborate, and learn. Virtual reality and augmented reality could have massive positive impacts on the economy in the future, but it is not without obstacles like privacy concerns.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [8:34] And this week’s financial planning topic is Make Any Economic Cycle Work for You. 📉

💼 [0:47] The first headline, “Job Market Appears Healthy Despite Omicron Headwinds”, is an article that explores how despite the rise in Covid-19 cases from the Omicron variant the jobs market remains healthy in the US.

👩‍🏫 [2:58] The second headline, “Teachers are Quitting, and Companies are Hot to Hire Them”, discusses how educators have been leaving the teaching profession at a high rate and companies are hot to hire them for their diverse skill set.

🛒 [5:47] Our final headline, “How to Navigate Rising Food Prices as Inflation Surges”, is a deep dive into the current inflationary pressures on groceries and how shoppers can utilize practices from the food services industry to plan and budget their grocery lists.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [10:56] And this week’s financial planning topic is How to React to a Market Correction. 📉

💻 [0:48] The first headline, “Intel to Invest at Least $20 Billion in Ohio Chip-Making Facility”, is an article that explores Intel’s recent announcement to invest at least $20 billion in a microchip fabrication facility near Columbus, Ohio.

🥩 [4:14] The second headline, “US Food Supply is Under Pressure, From Plants to Store Shelves”, discusses how the US food supply is under pressure from a labor crunch in processing plants and transportation resulting from employees being out sick with Covid-19.

🦾 [6:55] Our final headline, “Robotic Arms are Using Machine Learning to Reach Deeper into Distribution”, is a deep dive into how distribution warehouses are employing robotic arms powered by AI to help automate picking goods and prepare parcels for shipping with the help of humans.

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [16:10] And this week’s financial planning topic is 5 Years Out – 9 Recommendations to Prepare for Retirement. 📝

📋 [0:49] The first headline, “10 Trends That Will Shape the Way We Shop, Eat and Live This Year”, is an article that explores how consumer trends will evolve and shape the way we will live this year.

🖥️ [6:33] The second headline, “Google, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft Weave a Fiber Optic Web of Power”, discusses how four tech giants are utilizing the vast cable network that makes up the physical international internet to strengthen their position and provide seamless services.

💸 [13:24] Our final headline, “People Want to Start Spending Again and Inflation is Ruining It”, is a deep dive into inflations impact on American consumer’s reluctance to spend record savings amassed during the pandemic.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [10:15] And this week’s financial planning topic is 10 Years Out – 8 Recommendations to Prepare for Retirement. 📝

❌ [0:48] The first headline, “Workers Quit Jobs at Record Level in November”, is an article that explores how workers in the U.S. left their jobs at a record level in November and what impact that has on the tight labor market.

💸 [3:39] The second headline, “Companies Expect Funding to Stay Cheap”, discusses how CFOs are looking to re-finance their company’s short-term debt obligations to take advantage of low-interest rates ahead of any Fed rate hikes early this year.

🚜 [6:58] Our final headline, “John Deere Rolls Out Fully Autonomous Tractor”, is a deep dive into John Deere’s recent introduction of their fully autonomous tractor at CES in Las Vegas and the positive effect this tool may have on farmers productivity and ecological impact.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [13:15] And this week’s financial planning topic is - Resolutions for the New Year, how to set yourself up for success in 2022? ✔️

📦 [0:49] The first headline, “Can Paper Replace Plastic?”, is an article that explores how a packaging giant is betting big on paper packaging replacing plastic as a greener alternative even if it costs the end customer a little more money.

🤯 [6:00] The second headline, “Headaches and Backlogs Loom as Tax Filing Season Nears”, discusses how the current backlogs and potential for retroactive tax legislation are going to make this year’s tax season complex and ripe for filing delays.

🏭 [9:36] Our final headline, “US and European Factories See Easing Supply Strains but Omicron Threatens Fresh Setbacks”, is a deep dive into the easing of supply strains that came with the last few months of 2021 and the hopeful continuation of that trend despite the threat of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [12:31] And this week’s financial planning topic is 20 Years Out – 8 Recommendations for Retirement Planning 2 Decades in the Future? 📝

💵 [0:52] The first headline, “Holiday Tipping Guide”, is an article that explores how increasing inflation and ongoing pandemic circumstances may be affecting people’s traditional holiday tips.

🏭 [5:45] The second headline, “Nuclear Power’s Second Chance”, discusses how technological advances are giving nuclear power a second chance to prove itself as a viable option as a carbon-free energy source.

🚀 [10:15] Our final headline, “Superfast NASA Spacecraft Kisses the Surface of the Sun”, is a deep dive into the NASA Parker Solar Probe’s mission to gather scientific data on the Sun and the solar wind that it produces.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [13:23] And this week’s financial planning topic is Are You on Track to Achieve Your Financial Goals? ✔️

🚢 [0:47] The first headline, “Container Ship Backlog Moves Further Out to Sea”, is an article that explores how marine safety has created protocols to help container ships remain safe in rougher winter seas off the coast of Southern California.

💸 [4:01] The second headline, “Inflation’s Warm-Up Act”, discusses how current inflationary pressure may not be “transitory” anymore and while the rate of inflation has decelerated, American consumers should expect increased prices for everything from gas to furniture.

₿ [7:15] Our final headline, “Crypto, NFTs, and Tungsten Cubes: A Guide to Giving Cash in 2021”, is a deep dive into how the ever-increasing popularity of cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens have turned the advent of giving cash as a holiday gift on its proverbial technological head.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [11:13] And this week’s financial planning topic is Don’t Make These Common Retirement Planning Mistakes. 🚫

📉 [0:51] The first headline, “Declining Jobless Rate Keeps Fed on Track to Accelerate Taper”, is an article that explores how the declining jobless numbers are encouraging the Fed to accelerate their taper plans and eventually raise interest rates.

💰 [4:01] The second headline, “Covid-19 Made Americans into Super Savers”, discusses how Americans have been saving at a rate not seen since the end of WWII and how that surplus of cash could hamper an individual’s financial growth as well as the economy’s long-term growth.

🛡️ [7:00] Our final headline, “Tech Companies Push Users to Adopt Two-Factor Authentication”, is a deep dive into how tech companies have been encouraging users to beef up their security by utilizing two-factor authentication.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [17:23] And this week’s financial planning topic is how to stay focused while growing and protecting your nest egg. 💰

📈 [0:49] The first headline, “U.S. Economy Could Enjoy Post Holiday Glow, New Variant or No”, is an article that explores how the typical January swoon our domestic economy usually feels could be diminished due to the easing of the supply chain bottlenecks and excess of jobs available in the labor market.

📦 [4:08] The second headline, “Amazon Builds Out Network to Speed Delivery”, discusses how Amazon has invested in their warehousing, sorting, and shipping facilities to speed up deliveries ahead of the holiday season.

💻 [8:58] Our final headline, “Tech Conglomerates are the New Leaders of Industry”, is a deep dive into how the giant tech companies are displacing the old conglomerates like GE as the new leaders of industry.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [15:22] And this week’s financial planning topic is how to turn your nest egg into an income stream in retirement. 💸

✈️ [0:43] The first headline, “Canceled Flights and Crowded Airports”, is an article that explores how this holiday travel season from Thanksgiving weekend to New Year’s will be a chaotic one with the potential for delayed or canceled flights and stranded travelers due to staffing shortages from the airlines themselves to TSA agents.

⛓️ [5:38] The second headline, “Today’s Shortages Could Soon Become Tomorrow’s Gluts”, discusses how the current demand shortages and stockpiling of raw materials could turn into supply gluts causing an end to the current inflationary pressures consumers are experiencing.

🚗 [10:11] Our final headline, “Ford and GM Step Into Micro-Chip Business”, is a deep dive into how Detroit’s two largest auto manufacturers are looking to vertically integrate with the microchip industry to stave off future supply chain issues.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [11:19] And this week’s financial planning topic is ‘Change is Inevitable, Are You Prepared?’, how leveraging a team of advisors can help you sort through the noise of our ever-changing financial lives. 🧭

🚢 [0:40] The first headline, “Ocean Shipping Rates Fall”, is an article that explores how cross pacific shipping rates have fallen by 26% over the last 30 days and are now showing signs of returning to normalcy.

🏢 [3:11] The second headline, “Record Quitting Fuels Tight Job Market”, discusses how an influx of people quitting their jobs has impacted the tight labor market and how we now have a surplus of about 3 million jobs in the country.

📈 [6:58] Our final headline, “Inflation Hits 31-Year High”, is a deep dive into how inflationary pressure has affected everything from furniture and bedding to groceries and cars, nearly every product or good is experiencing the largest price increases in more than 30 years.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [10:26] And this week’s financial planning topic, “The Goose, and the Golden Eggs”, how to turn your life savings into retirement income using the safe withdrawal rate.🦢🥚

🚚 [0:49] The first headline, “When Will Supply-Chain Strains Finally Ease”, is an article that explores how the monstrous supply-chain issues have clogged up the global economy and how long we can expect the delays to last.

🌕[3:14] The second headline, “After Returning to the Moon, How Will Astronauts Get Around?”, discusses how surface travel on the Moon might function and the economic opportunities for companies to engineer and manufacture all the hardware required for lunar missions.

📈 [6:22] Our final headline, “The Economic Recovery from Covid-19 Was Easy; Now Comes the Hard Part”, is a deep dive into how the global economy is nearing a pivotal time in the recovery where companies and governments will have to plan for and set policy to transition into a sense of new economic normalcy.

Hope you enjoy it!

On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio.  [10:29] And this week’s financial planning topic is Why Investing is Difficult, a review of the mechanics and behaviors that can lead to successful investing.

[0:40] The first headline, “Supermarkets Play Supply Chain Whack-A-Mole”, is an article that explores how supermarkets across the country are dealing with supply chain issues on food items that seems to change week to week.

[4:48] The second headline, “Mesa Air Moves into Drone Delivery”, discusses how regional airline Mesa Air is experimenting with autonomous drone food delivery, joining heavyweights like Amazon and Google.

[7:53] Our final headline, “Jobless Claims Fall to Pandemic Low”, is a deep dive into how the jobless claims have hit a pandemic low signaling that the economic recovery is on solid footing.

Hope you enjoy it!

📰 On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio. [13:36] And this week’s financial planning topic Running Your Own Race, how focusing on your own financial goals and dreams can help you find success. 🏃‍♂️

👨‍💻 [0:40] The first headline, “SolarWinds Hackers Continue Attacks”, is an article that explores how the hackers behind last year's SolarWinds hack are continuing their attacks on U.S. technology companies.

🏭 [4:31] The second headline, “Natural-Gas Sticker Shock”, discusses how the increased cost of natural gas is having farther-reaching adverse effects than just increased costs during the colder months, possibly affecting the costs of pantry staples and gasoline prices at the pump into 2022.

🗺️ [8:26] Our final headline, “Retreat from Globalization”, is a deep dive into how the far-spreading web of the global supply chain network has come under threat from Covid-19, climate change, and geopolitics and geopolitics, and how governments and companies are reacting to these threats.

Hope you enjoy it!

On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio.  [9:28] And this week’s financial planning topic is how to fund your perfect retirement.

[0:40] The first headline, “Captain Kirk Goes to Space”, is an article that explores how famed actor William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk on the original Star Trek series, went to space on a Blue Origin flight becoming the oldest person to ever go to space at age 90.

[3:19] The second headline, “Toyota & Stellantis to Build EV Battery Factories in US”, discusses how both Toyota and Jeep parent Stellantis independently announced that they intend to build factories to build batteries for their future EV models in the US.

[6:03] Our final headline, “Social Security Benefits to Increase”, is a deep dive into how the Social Security Administration announced their largest single-year cost of living increase for 2022 at 5.9% in four decades. The increase is in response to the rising cost of almost everything due to the pandemic stimulus money as well as supply chain issues and bottlenecks.

Hope you enjoy it!

On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio.  [16:01] And this week’s financial planning topic is the three phases of retirement, what to expect and how to plan for future expenses.

[0:44] The first headline, “Builders Hunt for Alternatives”, is an article that explores how construction companies are getting creative with alternatives to supplies that are in short order like plywood, floor joists, and commercial insulation instead of delaying their builds and waiting on supply chain issues to be ironed out.

[3:46] The second headline, “Soaring Energy Prices”, discusses how increasing energy prices are affecting consumers globally, and what to expect here in the U.S. as we get closer to the cold weather season.

[8:20] Our final headline, “Autonomous Trains”, is a deep dive into how autonomous trains could be a part of the answer to help iron out our supply chain bottlenecks by increasing our freight capacity in the U.S. by almost 50%.

Hope you enjoy it!

On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio.  [9:13] And this week’s financial planning topic is taxes in retirement, how to know what you’ll owe.  Plus, the tax liability of the 4 different sources of income in retirement.

[0:42] The first headline, “Workplace Automation”, is an article that explores how employers worldwide implemented more workplace automation in the response to the pandemic and what impact that will have on the companies and their workforce.

[3:21] The second headline, “First Americans”, discusses how scientists found fossilized footprints from children and adolescents that are approximately 21,000 to 23,000 years old, providing definitive proof that humans were in North America before the last ice age.

[5:57] Our final headline, “The U.S. Debt Ceiling”, is a deep dive into what the debt ceiling is and why it’s so important as we enter into the final weeks before congress needs to pass legislation to avoid the U.S. government from defaulting on its loan obligations like veteran’s benefits or Social Security payments.

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On this week's episode of Minds Over Money, I go over 3 headlines from last week that directly impact the economy as well as potentially impacting your own investment portfolio.  [11:10] And this week’s financial planning topic is “Be Prepared”, how having a financial plan in place today can help make sure you are able to live your dream retirement.

[0:43] The first headline, “US Economy Shows Resilience”, is an article that explores how the US economic recovery has shown resilience in the face of the Delta variant of COVID-19 and continues to forge ahead.

[4:14] The second headline, “Retailers Battle for Inventory”, discusses how retailers are preparing for the holiday shopping season by stocking up on as much inventory as they can and betting on customers with cash to spend this winter.

[7:48] Our final headline, “Christmas Tree Shortage”, is a deep dive into the foreseen shortage of artificial Christmas trees this year due to supply chain bottlenecks and inventory shortages. It also highlights the significant increase in prices of the trees that are in the stores this fall, the average price increase was 20%.

Hope you enjoy it!