Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo: Protecting Purchasing Power and Beating Inflation

Episode 118 of Inflation and Your Money examines a stealth erosion point many workers overlook: the company 401(k) match. While inflation cools slightly with CPI at 332.6 and core PCE still ticking up, the real value of a 5% employer match is shrinking year after year. Lucas and Luna break down the math: if your salary stays flat or grows below inflation, that match buys fewer shares each quarter. They discuss the impact of the current 3.63% Fed funds rate on bond allocations and why automatic enrollment doesn't solve the purchasing-power problem. Specific numbers from the latest data show how even a modest 2.5% annual raise fails to keep pace with core inflation. The hosts offer a practical check: calculate your match's real-dollar trajectory and consider bumping your deferral rate by at least half the inflation gap. A focused episode for anyone with a workplace retirement plan.

#Inflation #401k #EmployerMatch #RetirementPlanning #PurchasingPower #PersonalFinance #CPI #CorePCE #FedFundsRate #RealReturn #SalaryGrowth #AutomaticEnrollment #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Finance #WealthManagement #Investing #CostOfLiving

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Episode 117 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore how whole life insurance policies are losing purchasing power in a world where the Fed funds rate sits at 3.63% but the average policy dividend yield hasn't budged from 5-6%. They break down the math: if you have $100,000 in cash value earning 5.5%, but inflation runs at 3% and taxes take another slice, your real return is near zero. Worse, policy loans at 6-8% can turn inflation into a trap. The hosts use the current CPI of 332.6 (down slightly) and the 10-year breakeven of 2.23% to frame the challenge for conservative investors. No hot takes—just honest analysis on a product millions own.

#WholeLifeInsurance #CashValue #Inflation #PurchasingPower #RealReturn #PolicyLoan #DividendRate #FederalReserve #FedFundsRate #CPI #BreakevenInflation #Treasury #PersonalFinance #Investing #WealthPreservation #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Finance

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In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dig into how inflation is quietly eroding the purchasing power of 529 college savings plans. Using real data from June 2026, they break down how even a modest 3% annual inflation in tuition costs can cut a plan's real value by over 20% by the time a child reaches college. They discuss the shift toward age-based glide paths that incorporate TIPS and I-bonds, and why the traditional 'growth at all costs' approach may leave families short. Plus, they offer a practical tip: run a net present value calculation on your target balance. Tune in for a focused, data-backed conversation that every parent or grandparent should hear.

#Inflation #529Plan #CollegeSavings #TuitionInflation #TIPS #IBonds #NetPresentValue #PersonalFinance #Investing #EducationFunding #PurchasingPower #CPI #Fed #KevinWarsh #FexingoBusiness #FinancePodcast #BusinessPodcast #LucasAndLuna

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In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how inflation is silently eroding the purchasing power of charitable donations—both for donors and the nonprofits that receive them. They anchor the discussion with specific data: the June 2026 CPI reading of 332.6 and the ten-year breakeven inflation rate at 2.25 percent. Drawing on a real example of a $100 donation made to a food bank in 2021 now being worth just $88 in today's dollars, they explain why even well-intentioned giving may not stretch as far as donors think. The hosts also discuss strategies to protect impact, including donor-advised funds, giving appreciated stock instead of cash, and timing donations early in the year to maximize value before inflation erodes more. This episode offers a fresh angle on inflation's hidden costs, moving beyond personal finance to the broader social good. No prior episode has covered charitable giving, making this a timely and unique perspective for listeners who want their generosity to retain its full force.

#Inflation #CharitableGiving #DonorAdvice #NonprofitImpact #CPI #PurchasingPower #DonorAdvisedFunds #GivingStock #TaxStrategy #Philanthropy #Finance #PersonalFinance #InflationAndYourMoney #Fexingo #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Generosity #Impact

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Episode 114 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna examine how inflation erodes homeowners insurance coverage. With CPI at 332.6 and core PCE rising, replacement costs for labor and materials have outpaced standard policy limits. The hosts discuss why actual cash value policies pay less than expected, the gap between market value and rebuild cost, and what listeners can do — like requesting extended replacement cost endorsements. They also touch on recent Fed testimony and what lower CPI readings mean for insurance premiums. A specific, actionable conversation for anyone who owns a home or rents.

#HomeownersInsurance #Inflation #ReplacementCost #ActualCashValue #CPI #PCE #FederalReserve #KevinWarsh #RealEstate #Housing #Insurance #PersonalFinance #PurchasingPower #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Finance #EconomicIndicators #Money

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In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how inflation is quietly eroding the purchasing power of Social Security benefits. They break down the way the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is calculated using CPI-W, a subset of the consumer price index that may not reflect retirees' actual spending patterns. With CPI-W rising slower than the broader CPI in recent years, many seniors are seeing a gap between their COLA increase and real-world cost increases for healthcare and housing. The hosts cite specific data from May 2026, including the all-urban CPI at 334.0 and the ten-year breakeven inflation rate at 2.26 percent, to illustrate the structural mismatch. They also discuss the potential for legislative reform, referencing recent proposals to switch to CPI-E, an index tailored to elderly households. A must-listen for anyone worried about retirement income keeping pace with rising prices.

#Inflation #SocialSecurity #COLA #CPI #CPI-W #CPI-E #Retirement #PurchasingPower #FixedIncome #CostOfLiving #Seniors #Finance #PersonalFinance #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #InflationAndYourMoney #LucasAndLuna #RetirementPlanning

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In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna unpack how inflation is quietly eating your streaming service value. With the latest CPI data showing persistent core inflation at 336.1, and the ten-year breakeven inflation rate sitting at 2.24 percent, they drill into the specific numbers behind streaming price hikes. Lucas explains how Netflix, Disney+, and other streamers have raised prices by 15-25 percent over the past two years, while ad-supported tiers and password-sharing crackdowns are reshaping the market. Luna brings data on how viewers are now spending less time per subscription and churning more. They tie it to broader trends: consumers are cutting back from an average of four services to two or three. The hosts also discuss strategies to optimize your streaming budget without losing access to your favorite shows. A natural donation segue ties the value conversation to supporting the ad-free show. A practical, data-rich episode for anyone wondering why their monthly streaming bill keeps creeping up.

#Inflation #StreamingServices #Netflix #DisneyPlus #CPI #CoreInflation #PurchasingPower #PersonalFinance #Budgeting #SubscriptionServices #PriceHikes #AdSupportedTiers #PasswordSharing #Churn #ConsumerBehavior #Finance #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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Episode 111 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo: Lucas and Luna dig into how inflation is quietly eroding the real value of life insurance payouts. With the CPI at 334 and the Fed holding rates at 3.63%, they explain why a $500,000 term policy bought ten years ago now covers only about $400,000 in today's purchasing power. They walk through options like increasing benefit riders, guaranteed insurability provisions, and the case for shorter-term policies with higher face amounts. A practical guide for anyone who hasn't reviewed their coverage since before the 2020-2021 inflation spike.

#Inflation #LifeInsurance #PurchasingPower #TermLife #WholeLife #CPI #FedFundsRate #InsurancePolicy #DeathBenefit #CoverageGap #InflationProtection #FinancialPlanning #PersonalFinance #WealthProtection #InsuranceRider #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Finance

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Episode 110 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo examines how dental insurance has changed as inflation persists. Lucas and Luna break down why premiums have risen nearly 12% year-over-year while annual maximums remain stuck around $1,500, and what that means for real coverage. They discuss the shift toward diagnostic-only plans, the impact on out-of-pocket costs, and one practical strategy: asking your employer about a separate dental HSA or FSA. Tied to current CPI data showing core inflation at 336.1, they offer a grounded look at a quiet erosion of benefits many listeners haven't noticed.

#DentalInsurance #Inflation #PurchasingPower #HealthcareCosts #PersonalFinance #CPI #CoreInflation #EmployerBenefits #HSADental #FSADental #AnnualMaximums #OutOfPocketCosts #PreventiveCare #DiagnosticOnlyPlans #InsurancePremiums #Finance #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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Episode 109 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna break down how inflation is quietly eating your gym membership. With CPI at 334.0 and the ten-year breakeven inflation rate at 2.24 percent, the hosts examine why your monthly dues are climbing faster than your salary, and what Planet Fitness, Equinox, and boutique studios reveal about pricing power in the fitness industry. Plus, a look at contract lock-in, hidden surcharges, and whether your New Year's resolution is costing you more than you think.

#Inflation #GymMembership #PlanetFitness #Equinox #FitnessIndustry #CPI #BreakevenInflation #PurchasingPower #PersonalFinance #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #FinancePodcast #PricingPower #ContractLockIn #BoutiqueStudios #ConsumerSpending #July2026 #InflationAndYourMoney

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