In this episode of Grow Money Business we dive into the independence of the federal reserve, including the recent allegations of mortgage fraud by one of the fed’s governors and some of the history of the central bank going back to the early 1900s.  We also cover whether active management in bonds makes sense, and everything that’s happened in the markets over the last month.

 Resources:

Why the Bond Market Is Fertile Ground for Active Management | Morningstar

https://www.morningstar.com/financial-advisors/why-bond-market-is-fertile-ground-active-management

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has been passed into law, and we dive into it’s details in this episode of Grow Money Business.  We cover the changes to tax laws that you should know about, including planning opportunities around charitable giving, solar panels & EVs, Social Security, and the child tax credit.  We also cover an article about the most important financial metric that even millionaires get wrong, the recent fed decision on interest rates, and the jobs report.

RESOURCES:

Even Multi-Millionaires Can’t Get This Basic Idea Right

bestinterest.blog/even-multi-millionaires-cant-get-this-basic-idea-right/

FAQ: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act Tax Changes

taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-tax-changes/

Tax Provisions in H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: House-Passed Version

congress.gov/crs-product/R48550

This episode of Grow Money Business covers everything you need to know about Social Security: from how to get through to your local office & the expected wait times for their 1-800 number to how long we’ll be able to pay retiree benefits.  The background here is that the trustees of Social Security are required to publish a report on the funding of the program annually.  The 2025 report was published just a few weeks ago, and this episode covers what you need to know about it.

Resources:

What the Heck Is Happening at Social Security?: https://www.nextavenue.org/what-the-heck-is-happening-at-social-security/

THE 2025 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE FEDERAL OLD-AGE AND SURVIVORS INSURANCE AND FEDERAL DISABILITY INSURANCE TRUST FUNDS: https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TR/2025/tr2025.pdf

In this episode of Grow Money Business we review what the markets have done as news of trade negotiations has trickled out over the last few weeks.  We review whether tariff policy leads to inflation to consumers, Moody’s recent downgrade of US debt, and what to look for in the coming weeks as we approach the 90-day tariff pause deadline.

RESOURCES:

Moody's Ratings downgrades United States ratings to Aa1 from Aaa; changes outlook to stable

moodys.com/web/en/us/about-us/usrating.html

The Effects of Tariffs on Inflation and Production Costs

frbsf.org/research-and-insights/publications/economic-letter/2025/05/effects-of-tariffs-on-inflation-and-production-costs/

Detecting Tariff Effects on Consumer Prices in Real Time

federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/detecting-tariff-effects-on-consumer-prices-in-real-time-20250509.html

This episode of Grow Money Business covers tariffs, Trump’s recent economic policy, the market’s reaction, and how we should interpret all this as investors.  We cover an article commenting on a recent wonky U.S. government bond auction and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s comments, and put the rapid pace of the news cycle in perspective.

RESOURCES:

US Treasury secretary: no risk of China weaponizing Treasuries despite bond market volatility

reuters.com/markets/rates-bonds/us-treasury-secretary-no-risk-china-weaponizing-treasuries-despite-bond-market-2025-04-15/

While college savings accounts like 529s provide some nice tax benefits, there are strings attached (including the dreaded 10% penalty for non-education related withdrawals).  In this episode of Grow Money Business we dive into how much parents should really be saving for their kids’ college education amid a changing landscape for education and student loans.  We also cover an interesting month in the markets and an article reviewing recent performance of single stock ETFs.

RESOURCES:

Billions Flowed Into New Leveraged ETFs Last Year. Now They’re in Free Fall.

wsj.com/finance/investing/billions-flowed-into-new-leveraged-etfs-last-year-now-theyre-in-free-fall-0c413245 

We’ve seen a massive amount of change in the federal government in the last month since Trump was inaugurated for his second term.  The threat of tariffs and inflation, DOGE’s dismantling of legacy government programs, and discussion of annexing Canada and Greenland has many people concerned.  This episode we cover the gamut from a financial perspective, including how investors should interpret what’s happening, whether we should be concerned about inflation in the near term, and how the markets have responded so far. 

RESOURCES

Inflation. How worried should we be?

stayathomemacro.substack.com/p/inflation-how-worried-should-we-be 

It’s been an interesting few weeks in the markets since President Trump’s inauguration.  A Chinese company produced an AI chatbot that performs as well as U.S. competitors at a fraction of the cost.  Nvidia’s stock lost 17% the following day after the company published its work, confirming the threat to Nvidia’s business model.  We cover an article highlighting what this all means, review the outperformance of non-U.S. equities, and answer a listener question about whether they can retire early without having to touch their Roth accounts in this episode of Grow Money Business. 

RESOURCES:

Best Part of the DeepSeek Story

substack.com/@herbgreenberg/p-155921309 

Should you be concerned that the market’s just made several all time highs?  This question comes up in various forms any time stock markets set new records.  As tempting as it is to assume that what goes up must come down, the market doesn’t think that way.  We cover this concept in detail in today’s episode, along with Vanguard’s recent 2025 market forecast and an update on how markets have done since the election.

RESOURCES:

Market perspectives

advisors.vanguard.com/insights/article/series/market-perspectives 

A lot has happened in the markets over the last few weeks. In this episode we cover what’s new in the stock, bond, and crypto markets since the election, and to should expect from the Trump administration with regard to economic and tax policy.

Resources:

Small-cap stocks on verge of ending 3 years of futility with record run — if it holds

marketwatch.com/story/small-cap-stocks-on-verge-of-ending-3-years-of-futility-with-record-run-if-it-holds-c829d75b?mod=hp_minor_pos27

What’s Flying Higher Than Bitcoin? The Software Company Buying Up Bitcoin

wsj.com/finance/currencies/whats-flying-higher-than-bitcoin-the-software-company-buying-up-bitcoin-748fdbd2?mod=hp_lead_pos5