YOUR RETIREMENT The Scoreboard: Daily vs. The Long Game

The TV wants you to panic about the red dot on the left. The green numbers on the right are your real story. Stay in.

WORDS TO STEER BY The Daily Quote

"The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient."

— Jack Bogle

The Mailbag

"Hey Rock. I have a three-year-old and a newborn, and I just saw the news that the government is officially launching these new 'Trump Accounts' for kids starting tomorrow on July 4th. They are offering a free $1,000 deposit to start. I'm currently putting $150 a month into a 529 plan for my oldest. Should I pause the 529 and redirect all my future monthly contributions into this new government account instead?" — Mike, Reston, VA

Here is the absolute raw truth, Mike. Do not pause that 529 plan, and do not put a single dime of your own hard-earned cash into that new federal account.
You are looking at a shiny object disguised as a financial revolution. As Dave Ramsey completely called out this week, these new government accounts are nothing more than political theatrics. They are designed to sound amazing on a holiday press release, but when you look under the hood, they are a massive wealth-building trap.
The brutal reality is that these accounts are incredibly rigid. The money is heavily restricted until your kids turn 18, the investment options are strictly limited, and unlike a true Roth IRA, the growth on those investments can still get hit with taxes when your child reaches adulthood.
Here is your exact execution strategy for this situation:
1. Take the Free Money: Taking the government's $1,000 initial deposit is an absolute no-brainer. Open an account for both of your kids, claim the free $2,000 total, say thank you, and walk away.
2. Stick to the Roadmap: Do not add a single dollar of your own monthly cash flow to these restricted accounts. You go right back to executing the 9 steps of the Raw Truth Roadmap.
3. Fund the Real Vehicles: Keep aggressively pouring your money into the time-tested tools that actually give you control. 529 Plans offer massive tax advantages and flexibility for educational expenses. If you want maximum investment choices outside of education, use a Custodial Account (UGMA/UTMA). And if your kids ever get a part-time job and have earned income, open a Custodial IRA.

Take the free government deposit, but keep them completely out of your long-term wealth-building strategy. Rely on your own discipline and time-tested accounts to build a multi-million-dollar fortress for your family tree.

Send questions to [email protected]

YOUR MONEY The Household Dashboard

THE MILLIONAIRE MANUAL The "Trump Account" Trap — Why the Government's New July 4th Stunt Won't Make Your Kids Wealthy

Good morning fam. Tomorrow is July 4th, and the government is officially rolling out these brand new "Trump Accounts" for kids. You’ve probably seen the headlines, and you’re probably wondering if this is the ultimate shortcut to building generational wealth for your children. Let's cut straight through the political noise and get to the absolute raw truth. Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey is completely dismissing these accounts for exactly what they are: a political stunt. Instead of a substantive wealth-building breakthrough, they are nothing more than a marketing tactic and a distraction designed to spread around money. We are going to break down exactly how to play this game, why you shouldn't fall for the hype, and where your hard-earned cash actually needs to go.

Here is the brutal reality about these accounts. They are being sold as a revolution, but they are completely inflexible, they lack real investment options, and they are not nearly as powerful as traditional 529 plans or Roth IRAs. The funds inside these new federal accounts are highly restricted until your kid turns 18, and even then, the usage rules and investment choices are strictly limited by the government. Plus, unlike a true Roth IRA, the investment growth inside these accounts can still get hit with taxes when your child reaches adulthood. It is an illusion of wealth-building disguised as a government favor.

The Move: Now, don't get me wrong. The government is offering a $1,000 initial deposit to open one, and taking that free grand is an absolute "no-brainer". So here is your exact flight plan: claim the $1,000 initial deposit, but aggressively invest your own money elsewhere. If you want to build a real fortress for your kids, use the vehicles that actually give you control. Ramsey and our Raw Truth Roadmap both agree you should look to time-tested tools. Fund a 529 Plan for huge tax advantages and flexibility on educational expenses, open a Custodial IRA if your kid has earned income, or use a Custodial Account (UGMA/UTMA) to get maximum overall investment choices and flexibility compared to these rigid federal accounts.

You cannot rely on a rigid government program to build generational wealth for your family. Take their free $1,000, say thank you, and then immediately go back to executing the 9 steps of the Raw Truth Roadmap. True financial freedom is built on your own terms, with your own discipline, using the boring, broad-market index funds that let you own the entire American economic engine without the government tying your hands.

RESPECT The Tribute

🇺🇸 To every pipefitter who spent this week sweating through a crawl space to keep a hospital's steam lines running — your hands keep people alive, and almost nobody knows your name.

THE WATER COOLER The Big Three

#1: Surprise Jobs Report Lifts Markets Before Holiday Weekend

A stronger-than-expected June jobs report dropped Thursday morning, showing more Americans are still employed than Wall Street predicted, sending stocks higher heading into the Fourth of July weekend.

#2: Kids' 'Trump Accounts' Carry a Hidden Risk for Families

New government-backed savings accounts for children are being rolled out, but they come with a major restriction — they can only hold U.S. stocks, completely locking out bonds and international investments.

#3: Social Security Is Failing Women — Here Is Why It Matters

A new report highlights that women are significantly more likely to depend on Social Security as their primary income in retirement, yet the system's structure consistently leaves them with lower monthly payments than men.

TRACKING YOUR S&P 500 INDEX FUND The Ownership 10

Your 401k S&P 500 index fund — whether you know it as VOO, FXAIX, or the Vanguard Institutional 500 Index Trust — owns all 500 of these companies. When they win, you win.

The Heavy Hitters — Working Hard for You Today:

The Benchwarmers — Having a Tough Day (But Still on Your Team):

Takeaway: Five companies are winning today. Five are hurting. Your index fund holds all 500. You never have to pick the right one. You just have to stay in. That is the whole game.

BACKPAGE The Wacky Corner

Most people think about slowing down at 65. Harland Sanders had just lost his roadside restaurant to an interstate highway reroute and was cashing Social Security checks — literally $105 a month — when he loaded his car with a pressure cooker and a batch of spices and started pitching his fried chicken recipe to anyone who would listen. He drove from town to town, sleeping in his car, collecting a nickel per chicken sold as his only cut of the deal. Over a thousand restaurants said no to his face before the first real yes finally came through. By the time he sold Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1964 for $2 million — worth roughly $20 million today — he was 74 years old and had built one of the most recognizable food brands on earth out of a government check and sheer stubbornness.

Lesson: Lesson: Real wealth is almost always boring, slow, and built one stubborn yes at a time — not one lucky break.