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THE WATER COOLER
The Big Three
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#1: Inflation Is Still Squeezing Your Wallet Right Now
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The latest inflation numbers show prices are still rising faster than most families can keep up with, putting pressure on everything from groceries to loan payments to savings accounts.
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The Raw Truth: If your paycheck feels like it shrinks a little more every month, this is why. Higher inflation means the cost of keeping your family fed, housed, and moving does not stop climbing just because you are already stretched thin. This is exactly why getting out of debt and building a cash cushion is not optional — it is survival. |
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#2: Your Wages May Be Kept Low on Purpose
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New research confirms that in many industries, employers quietly coordinate or use their market power to keep wages lower than they should be, and most workers have no idea it is happening.
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The Raw Truth: You are not imagining it — working harder and still falling behind is not a personal failure, it is a rigged system. When your employer is one of the only games in town, they do not have to compete for you, so your pay stays flat while everything else gets more expensive. Knowing this is real is the first step — the second step is building income and assets outside of any single employer's control. |
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#3: AI Is Already Killing Entry-Level Jobs for Young People
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A prominent former government leader warned that young graduates are right to be worried, because artificial intelligence is already replacing the starter jobs that used to get people their first foot in the door.
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The Raw Truth: If you have a kid about to graduate, or you are early in your own career, this is not a future problem — it is happening right now. Fewer entry-level jobs means longer stretches without income, more student loan pressure, and more young adults moving back home, which hits the whole family's budget. This is a gut-check reminder that building marketable skills and staying debt-free is the only real job security left. |
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"Wealth is not about having a lot of money; it’s about having a lot of options. It’s the ability to wake up and say, 'I can do whatever I want today.' It’s the quiet confidence that your family is safe, no matter what the world does next."
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| — Dave Ramsey |
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TRACKING YOUR S&P 500 INDEX FUND
The Ownership 10
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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.
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The Heavy Hitters — Working Hard for You Today:
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Boeing Company (The) (BA) 🟢 Up 5.53% — News broke that Boeing reached a deal to get its airplane deliveries moving again after months of production headaches. They build the commercial jets you board at the airport and the military aircraft the government flies. |
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Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) 🟢 Up 5.09% — Investors got excited after the company signaled that demand for its chips used in AI technology is way stronger than people expected. They make the specialized chips that power a lot of the AI tools and data centers running behind the scenes of your everyday apps. |
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Apple Inc. (AAPL) 🟢 Up 2.63% — People got more confident that iPhone sales are holding up better than feared, and the stock caught a nice lift today. They make the iPhone in your pocket, the Mac on your desk, and run the App Store where you download everything. |
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Halliburton Company (HAL) 🟢 Up 2.52% — Oil prices ticked up today and that lifted the whole oil-services crowd along with it. They are the company that goes out to oil fields and does the drilling and technical work that gets the gas out of the ground and eventually to your local pump. |
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Amazon.com (AMZN) 🟢 Up 2.18% — Investors felt good about the company's cloud computing business picking up steam, and the stock rode that wave higher. They run the website where you order almost everything, plus the cloud computers that power a huge chunk of the internet. |
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The Benchwarmers — Having a Tough Day (But Still on Your Team):
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GE Aerospace (GE) 🔴 Down 3.64% — The stock slid after the company said it is seeing some cost pressures that will eat into its profits more than people hoped. They build the jet engines on most of the planes you fly, along with other big industrial equipment. |
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Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) 🔴 Down 3.52% — Investors got nervous after chatter about possible cuts to the government's defense spending budget started making the rounds. They are a major defense contractor that builds things like stealth bombers and missile defense systems for the U.S. military. |
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Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) 🔴 Down 2.89% — Same defense spending worries that hit the rest of the military contractors dragged this one down today too. They build the F-35 fighter jet and a lot of the missiles and defense systems the U.S. and its allies depend on. |
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AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) 🔴 Down 2.25% — Investors got jittery over growing competition for one of the company's biggest-selling medications. They make prescription drugs you may have seen advertised on TV, including treatments for arthritis and skin conditions like psoriasis. |
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Intel Corporation (INTC) 🔴 Down 1.49% — The stock drifted lower as people remain skeptical about how long it will take the company to catch back up with its chip-making rivals. They make the processors that run a lot of the laptops and desktop computers sitting in homes and offices across the country. |
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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.
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YOUR MONEY
The Household Dashboard
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| Item |
Today |
Status |
| National Gas Avg (AAA) |
$4.03/gal |
🟢 88¢ down this week |
| DC Gas Avg (AAA) |
$4.28/gal |
🟢 96¢ down this week |
| 30-Year Fixed Mortgage |
6.30% |
🟢 Trending |
| S&P 500 YTD Return |
see Scoreboard |
🟢 Still growing |
| Credit Card APR Avg |
22.30% |
🔴 Record highs |
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Gas prices just dropped hard — national average is $4.03 and DC is sitting at $4.28, both down nearly a dollar this week — fill your tank all the way up today and if you drive for work or a side hustle, this is the week to top off every vehicle you own before prices climb back up. |
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The average credit card is charging you 22.30% interest right now — that is a record high — if you are carrying a balance, every single dollar you do not throw at that card today is costing you money tonight while you sleep, so log in, find any extra cash in your budget, and put it on the highest-rate card before the week is out. |
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YOUR RETIREMENT
The Scoreboard: Daily vs. The Long Game
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| Investment |
Today |
5-Yr Return |
10-Yr Return |
| S&P 500 — VOO / FXAIX / Vanguard 500 |
🟢 +1.03% |
🟢 +81.9% |
🟢 +301.5% |
| Nasdaq — QQQ |
🟢 +1.67% |
🟢 +102.2% |
🟢 +537.3% |
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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.
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The Mailbag
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"Craig, I’m listening to everything you’re saying about the Baby Steps and the S&P 500, and I want it. I want that peace more than anything. But I’ve got to be honest with you—I’m looking at my budget and I don't see any "extra" to work with.
It feels like every time I save $50, the price of eggs, gas, or my car insurance goes up by $60. I’m 58 years old, I’ve worked hard my whole life, and I feel like I’m being squeezed from every side. My debt isn't moving because I’m using every spare cent just to keep the lights on and the fridge full.
I’m tired of "tightening my belt"—there are no more notches left. How am I supposed to find extra money to actually kill this debt when just living in 2026 costs a fortune? Do I really have to go get a second job at my age?" — Becky, California
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Becky, I hear you loud and clear. When you feel like you’ve reached the last notch on your belt, the thought of "working more" feels like a mountain you just can’t climb today.
But before we talk about getting a bigger shovel, we need to make sure your bucket doesn't have a bunch of holes in the bottom. In 2026, we aren't being robbed at gunpoint—we’re being "nickeled and dimed" to death by digital ghosts.
The Raw Truth: Most Americans are currently spending an average of $219 a month on subscriptions. That’s over $2,600 a year! For many folks, that is the equivalent of a second car payment or a massive chunk of their grocery bill, and half the time, they aren't even using what they're paying for.
Here is your "Easy Win" mission for today:
The Digital Exorcism: Grab your phone and look at your "Subscriptions" in the Apple App Store or Google Play settings. You’d be shocked at the $4.99 and $9.99 apps you "tried out" six months ago that are still sucking your blood every 30 days.
The PayPal/Processor Audit: Log into PayPal, Venmo, or your online banking. Check for "Automatic Payments." There are services we signed up for years ago—weather apps, premium news sites, "pro" versions of photo editors—that just sit there quietly.
The "One Only" Rule: I’m not asking you to live in a cave. Keep one favorite streaming service so you can relax at the end of a long day. But the other four? Cut them. You can always subscribe again later when the debt is gone.
Tonight, sit down with your last three credit card statements and a highlighter. Mark every recurring charge. If you haven't used it in the last 30 days, kill it.
I want to hear from you. After you do this audit, email me back and tell me exactly how much you found. Was it $50? $200? $400? Whatever it is, that is "found money" that goes straight toward your debt snowball starting now.
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You don't need a second job yet; you just need to stop paying for a life you aren't actually living.
We’re going to figure this out, one "cancel" button at a time. Keep me updated.
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Send questions to [email protected]
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THE MILLIONAIRE MANUAL
Your Neighbor is Broke (And You’re Paying to Keep Up)
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Let’s stop pretending. The reason your bank account is empty in April 2026 isn’t just because eggs are expensive or because the economy is "weird." For most of us, the reason we’re broke is that we are spending money we don’t have, to buy things we don't need, to impress people we don't even like. We’ve turned our lives into a movie set where the front looks like a mansion but there’s nothing holding it up from behind.
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The Raw Truth? That "new" truck in your neighbor's driveway isn't a sign of success—it’s a $772-a-month anchor. In 2026, over 20% of people are paying more than $1,000 a month just for the "privilege" of driving a depreciating piece of metal.
We buy the $150 boots, the $3,000 vacation, and the "limited edition" gear because social media tells us that if we aren't "living our best life," we’re failing. But while you’re busy trying to look like a millionaire for the 'gram, the bank is the one actually getting rich off your interest. You’re trading your freedom at 65 for a "like" at 35. That isn't success; that’s a trap.
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The Move: Today, I want you to embrace being "the weird one."
The "Nobody Cares" Test: Before you buy anything over $50 today, ask yourself: "Would I still want this if I could never show it to another human being?" If the answer is no, put it back.
Kill a "Status" Payment: Find one thing you’re paying for just for the image—the premium gym you don't visit, the designer subscription, or the lease you can't afford. Admit the mistake, cut the cord, and put that money into your S&P 500 index fund.
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Stop trying to look rich and start actually being rich. The only person you need to impress is the 80-year-old version of you who’s counting on this money to survive.
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BACKPAGE
The Wacky Corner
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A report just hit the headlines this morning that should make every one of us pause. It turns out that in 2026, while families are struggling to pay for basic groceries, a new trend called "Treatonomics" is exploding. People are so stressed out by the "slog" of the economy that they are spending more money than ever on "little treats"—small, $10 to $25 indulgences like fancy coffees, specialized lollipops (yes, really), and "aesthetic" home office gear—just to feel a momentary spark of joy.
The Body
The Raw Truth? Over 60% of Americans are now doing this at least once a week, and here is the kicker: 36% of them are willing to go into short-term debt (credit cards or "Buy Now, Pay Later") to fund these "little luxuries."
I get it. Life is hard. You’re working a double shift, the news is a mess, and you feel like you deserve a win. But $25 twice a week is $2,600 a year. That is the "Hope Tax." You are paying interest to a bank to buy a 15-minute dopamine hit because you’ve lost faith that you can ever save enough for the "big stuff" like a house or a real retirement. We’ve started celebrating "inchstones" because we’ve given up on milestones.
The "Wait 24" Rule: If you feel that urge to buy a "small luxury" today just because you’ve had a rough morning, wait 24 hours. If the world hasn't ended and you still want it tomorrow, okay. But 90% of the time, that "need" disappears once the stress spike fades.
Stop buying "little treats" to survive a life you don't like, and start investing that money so you can build a life you don't need to escape from.
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Lesson: Lesson: If everybody is screaming that something is the next big thing, that is usually your cue to slow down and keep your money in something boring and real.
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🇺🇸 This tribute is for the hero who realized that "fitting in" is a luxury they can no longer afford, and that a "paid-for" life is the only status symbol that truly matters.
Love y'all. Attack that debt. Keep those contributions running. The plan does not change.
See you on the road. — Rock (Craig)
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