Demystifying the Federal Reserve & Its Impact on Your Investments
“The Federal Reserve has no reserves and they’re absolutely not part of the Federal government.” The infamous Rep. Madison Cawthorn might have been wrong about the reserves part (it depends on how you account for the Fed’s loan balances), but he was right about the Federal Reserve not being a part of the government…
From Baseline to Bottom Line: What Tennis Tactics Can Teach Us About Market Strategy
“You’re not very intimidating, you know?” Andre Agassi calls out through his headset mic to Roger Federer as Roger bounces the ball before his serve. “You’re disarming yourself! You’re very Swiss, I don’t know what it is.” The crowd watching the doubles exhibition match laughs. Some have their mouths gaping open in shock….
The Fantastic Four of Greenville: Building Wealth, Community & the Future
Greenville, South Carolina is the most idyllic city in America. It has all the ingredients necessary for a young family to fulfill their American dreams and put their children in position to fulfill their own dreams. This thought came to me while walking with my wife and kids around the concourse at Fluor Field last week…
Diworsification, Defense, & Dress Shirts: Trimming the Fat in Life & Investing
Tis the season for streamlining as we head into the Fall season. This past week has felt so cool it’s like we’re there already. Football teams are installing their offenses and making things efficient. Companies are “right-sizing” left and right and raising their net margins…
The Economic Eye Test: What Vacationers, Cabanas, & Costco Slushies Reveal About the Market
They call it the old “eyeball test” or “eye test” for short. It’s the sophisticated metric talking heads on ESPN have created to prove how Southeastern Conference (SEC) college football teams are more qualified for the playoff over teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big 12 and Big 10 (B1G), even if…
Fireworks, Fun, & Fine Print: What the One Big Beautiful Bill Really Means for You
From everyone at WTA, we hope you had an excellent 4th of July holiday – it should be filled with fireworks and fun and not with family tax debates! While all of us were enjoying the grill and a cold beverage or two, Congress decided to celebrate by passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law. Nothing says freedom like a 600-page omnibus bill, right?…
The R4 Revelation: Beating Inflation in a World of Printed Money
Amongst all the talk about “the big, beautiful bill” in Congress and whether Trump might show up in Jerome Powell’s kitchen to demand a lowering of interest rates, there’s a key stat that has been swept under the rug. It’s the growth of M2…
Bombs, Bacon, & the Stock Market: Why Calm Investors Win in Chaotic Times
If you’ve spent any length of time this week doomscrolling on X, formerly Twitter, you would have learned that a decent-sized portion of the country does not support US involvement in the Israel-Iran war. For “Neither Side Eats Bacon.” It was trending on X, and for those who shared the post (which MUST have had […]
The $13 Lunch Combo & Other Signs Inflation Isn’t 2.4%
Credit card statements on your phone are always so nice and colorful. What a wonderful user experience! You can look at the app and see the logos of all the places you spent money at during the previous month and remember all the good times you had there. Like when I went through the drive-thru at Schlotsky’s on June 6th for lunch and spent $11.32 on a French Dip Sandwich….
From Football Fields to Financial Fields: Betting on the S&P 500 (Safely)
Breaking news! Nonfarm payroll numbers are not so bad – +139,0001. But hiring numbers are big-time bad at +37,0002. Well OK. I don’t know what to do with that … Great! So, we’re a “good distance” from recession, but are very nervous. We’ve really morphed into a feelings economy haven’t we? Let’s blame Gen Z. They are easy scapegoats. But it’s all sentiment; never mind the numbers …
