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 […]
AMERICA’S HEALTHCARE EMBARRASSMENT — AND THE GOP’S FAILURE TO LEAD
We’ve arrived at a full-on healthcare embarrassment in this country — an Obamacare embarrassment, yes, but also a Republican embarrassment. Let’s be blunt: the GOP has been incompetent on this issue for more than a decade. Completely, undeniably incompetent. I remember Trump’s first term when Republicans were chanting “repeal and replace.” Great. Repeal and replace. Except they only had the […]
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER, ALMOST FAMOUS STILL NAILS THE MEDIA PROBLEM
A phenomenal film popped up on my screen the other day, and it hit me: it’s been twenty-five years since Almost Famous came out. Twenty-five years. It’s one of Cameron Crowe’s best, and it came out the same year I first went on the air. And the reason I bring it up now is because the movie has one of the greatest […]
ONE NATIONAL AI RULEBOOK? PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
The President is preparing a “One Rule” executive order for artificial intelligence—one national set of regulations instead of a patchwork of state laws. His argument is that America is in a superpower race with China, and requiring companies to navigate 50 different approval systems would crush innovation before it even gets off the ground. On […]
I’M DONE VOTING FOR “LESS BAD”
I hit a breaking point this morning. Driving home from the gym, listening to Republican senators and House members making their rounds on cable news, I realized something with absolute clarity: I am never voting for “less bad” again. I’m done with it. Not wavering, not softening, not “holding my nose” for the sake of the team. Finished. Listening to […]
PRIORITIES, SANDCASTLES, SEA TURTLES, AND THE LIE OF FINANCIAL “PLANNING”
I’ve said this before on the program, but it’s worth repeating: there is no such thing as “priorities.” There can only be one priority. The word itself is misleading. Once you have more than one, you’ve already lost focus. For me, that priority is simple: God and my family. They’re not separate categories. They’re the same thing. That single priority guides everything I do—how I work, how […]