Is the U.S. Dollar Losing Value by Design?
Why the Value of the Dollar Matters More Than Its Symbol When people talk about the U.S. dollar, the conversation often focuses on exchange rates or market headlines. But the real issue for households isn’t how the dollar trades on a chart—it’s how far that dollar goes in everyday life. Over long periods of time, […]
Why Cash Loses Value During Inflation
Why Cash Feels Safe—but Isn’t Cash makes you feel safe. It doesn’t change like markets do, it’s easy to get to, and it feels safe. For a lot of people, keeping cash on hand seems like the right thing to do, especially when the economy is unstable. But inflation introduces a different kind of risk: […]
How Inflation Quietly Taxes Your Money
Inflation: The Tax You Never See When we think about taxes, we usually think of the ones we can see, like the sales tax, property tax, income tax, or payroll tax. These are clearly marked and taken off right away. But the most powerful tax that most people pay never shows up on a bill. […]
How Wall Street Research Works—and Where Investor Risk Comes In
As private investment funds move toward public markets, questions about how much things are worth and how easy they are to sell become more obvious. When shares can be freely traded, the difference between the estimated value and what investors are willing to pay often becomes clear. This is because prices are no longer set […]
Private Equity, Public Exits, and the Valuation Gap
What Happens When Companies Go Public? Over the past decade, private equity and alternative investment funds have grown a lot. People often say that these investments are long-term strategies that will lower risk and give steady returns. They don’t change in price every day like publicly traded stocks, which can make them seem more stable. […]
Money-Saving Tips for the New Year 2026
As 2026 begins, many families take a moment to step back and look at their finances with fresh eyes. It’s a good time to ask if money is being used on purpose or just moving around without much thought. Saving money isn’t about being strict or denying yourself things. It’s about taking charge and feeling […]
YOU CAN’T TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO THE SHALLOW END OF INFLATION
I was asked to do a “deep dive” into the latest inflation numbers this week during a daily television hit in the San Francisco–Oakland market. The headline figures were being celebrated: 2.7% CPI, 2.6% core. Victory laps everywhere. And my reaction was simple—you can’t take a deep dive into the shallow end of the pool without cracking […]
Why Small Businesses Are Struggling Right Now—and What the Data Is Telling Us
If you want to understand where the economy is headed, don’t start with the stock market. Start with small businesses. Right now, they’re sending up warning flares. One of the clearest signals is coming from a part of the bankruptcy code most people have never heard of: Subchapter V. This program was created to help […]
AFFORDABILITY ISN’T A HOAX — IT’S THE BILL COMING DUE
December 2025 Every new survey tells the same story, and Americans don’t need polling data to confirm what they feel every time they check out at the grocery store. The latest CNBC All-America Economic Survey shows that for the first time, people say they’re spending more simply because prices are higher—not because they’re buying more. Inflation has quietly crushed household budgets, especially […]
WHY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IS HURTING EUROPE, NOT HELPING IT
The European Commission just fined X roughly €120 million under the EU’s Digital Services Act, targeting Elon Musk personally in the process. On its face, this is being sold as a move to “modernize” Europe and protect democracy. In reality, it looks far more like self-preservation by an unelected bureaucracy that feels its influence slipping. Here’s the part few people understand: the European Commission […]