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

Lucas and Luna dive into a hidden inflation casualty: travel rewards programs. With CPI at 334 and the ten-year breakeven inflation rate at 2.20 percent, the purchasing power of your miles and points is quietly being devalued. They break down how major loyalty programs have been increasing the number of points needed for award flights and hotel stays by 15 to 25 percent over the past year, effectively acting as a stealth price hike. Using specific examples from Delta SkyMiles and Marriott Bonvoy, they explain the math behind points devaluation, why it's happening now, and what you can do to protect your rewards balance — including booking early, transferring points to partners, and treating points like a depreciating asset. The episode closes with a practical strategy for redeeming before your stash loses more value.

#Inflation #TravelRewards #PointsDevaluation #DeltaSkyMiles #MarriottBonvoy #AirlineMiles #HotelPoints #LoyaltyPrograms #PurchasingPower #CPI #BreakevenInflation #PersonalFinance #ConsumerTips #TravelHacks #Finance #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #LucasAndLuna

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Episode 77 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna dive into a hidden inflation victim: homeowners insurance premiums. With CPI still sticky at 3.1% year-over-year as of May 2026, and the Fed holding rates at 3.63%, home insurance costs have surged 15-20% in many states, far outpacing general inflation. Lucas breaks down why—rising reinsurance costs, climate-driven catastrophe losses, and a hard market cycle. Luna asks if shopping around every year actually works, and they discuss whether bundling is still a good strategy. They also touch on the latest Fed comments from Kashkari hinting at a rate hike. If you own a home and haven't checked your renewal notice closely, this episode is for you. Plus, a brief donor-supported moment: how listener contributions keep the podcast ad-free. Concrete tips to protect your purchasing power against invisible premium creep.

#HomeownersInsurance #Inflation #Premiums #Reinsurance #ClimateRisk #FedRateHike #Kashkari #CPI #CoreCPI #InsuranceCycle #HardMarket #Bundling #PurchasingPower #Finance #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #InflationAndYourMoney #InsuranceHack

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Episode 76 of Inflation and Your Money. Lucas and Luna dig into a specific inflation blind spot: the restaurant menu. Most of us think we notice when prices go up, but restaurants have been using a subtler strategy — shrinking portions, reformulating recipes, and shifting menu mix — to conceal the real inflation hit. Lucas walks through data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that 'food away from home' has risen 5.2 percent year-over-year, while grocery prices are up only 1.8 percent. But even that gap understates it, because restaurants are also quietly reducing the amount of protein or the size of sides. We talk about how to spot 'shrinkflation' on a menu, why the breakeven inflation rate hitting 2.21 percent matters for your dining budget, and one simple habit that can save you $400 a year without giving up eating out. Also: a brief listener-support moment and why keeping this show ad-free depends on people who find value in it.

#Inflation #Shrinkflation #RestaurantInflation #MenuInflation #FoodAwayFromHome #CPI #CoreCPI #BreakevenInflation #PurchasingPower #PersonalFinance #ConsumerSpending #EatingOutCosts #HiddenInflation #PortionShrink #MenuEngineering #Finance #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast

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Episode 75 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo looks at a surprisingly vulnerable spot in your budget: pet insurance. With pet medical costs rising at more than double the rate of human healthcare inflation, carriers are jacking up premiums aggressively. Lucas and Luna break down the specific data — including a 23% average premium increase in 2025 alone — and explain why the standard inflation hedges you'd use for other expenses don't work here. They discuss how to shop for policies smartly, whether pet insurance is still worth it, and what the shift in underwriting practices means for pet owners. If you've got a dog or cat, this one hits close to home.

#PetInsurance #Inflation #Finance #PetHealth #Premiums #CPI #Underwriting #VetCosts #PersonalFinance #InsuranceHacks #LucasAndLuna #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #PurchasingPower #PetOwners #DogCat #InflationHedge #Episode75

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Episode 74 examines silver's recent collapse as an inflation hedge, down over 10% in a week as gold stumbles too. Lucas and Luna unpack the industrial demand shift, the role of interest rates, and whether silver's dual identity as both a monetary metal and an industrial commodity makes it a risky bet right now. They reference real-time data: silver trading near $58.50, the 10-year breakeven inflation rate falling to 2.18%, and the Fed holding rates steady. The conversation explores whether the traditional playbook for precious metals still works in a world of higher real yields and slowing inflation. A must-listen for anyone holding silver or thinking of buying the dip.

#Silver #InflationHedge #PreciousMetals #IndustrialDemand #InterestRates #RealYields #BreakevenInflation #Gold #SilverPrice #Commodities #FedPolicy #PurchasingPower #InflationAndYourMoney #Fexingo #FexingoBusiness #FinancePodcast #PersonalFinance #Investing

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Silver has historically been considered an inflation hedge alongside gold, but in the current cycle it's getting crushed. As of June 25, 2026, silver futures are down over 12 percent in the last five days, while gold is down about 4 percent. Lucas and Luna dig into why silver is suddenly failing as a store of value. They look at the industrial demand collapse from solar and electronics manufacturing, the role of the strong dollar, and the shift in investor preferences toward yield-bearing assets like TIPS. They also discuss whether silver's dual identity as both a monetary and industrial metal makes it more vulnerable during periods of economic uncertainty. Lucas points to the 10-year breakeven inflation rate falling to 2.18 percent, suggesting that the market itself is pricing in less inflation risk. The episode closes with a practical takeaway: if you hold silver as an inflation hedge, it may be time to reconsider your assumptions.

#Silver #InflationHedge #Gold #PreciousMetals #Commodities #IndustrialDemand #Solar #Electronics #FederalReserve #TIPS #BreakevenInflation #StrongDollar #MonetaryPolicy #Investing #Finance #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #InflationAndYourMoney

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Episode 72 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna unpack a hidden inflation vector: property taxes. With home values up and local budgets under pressure, mill rates are rising faster than CPI. The hosts walk through how a $400,000 home in a typical suburb saw its tax bill jump 8% year-over-year, even as assessed values rose only 5%. They break down the lag between market value spikes and reassessment cycles, the impact of Proposition 13-style caps versus non-capped states, and one concrete strategy: challenging your assessment before the next mill rate hearing. Grounded in May 2026 CPI data (334.0, up from 332.41) and the 10-year breakeven inflation rate of 2.21, this episode gives listeners a practical lens on a cost that often flies under the radar. If you own a home or rent one, property tax inflation is in your future—here's how to spot it before it hits your escrow.

#PropertyTax #Inflation #MillRate #HomeValues #TaxAssessment #CPI #RealEstate #PersonalFinance #Proposition13 #Escrow #LucasAndLuna #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Finance #Economy #CostOfLiving #Homeowners #Renters

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Episode 71 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna uncover how streaming services have quietly raised prices by 25% since 2022, far outpacing official CPI for 'recreation services'. They dig into Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify's pricing strategies, the shift to ad-supported tiers, and why your monthly entertainment bill is a stealth inflation vector. They also reference the latest CPI data showing core inflation still sticky at 336.1, and the 10-year breakeven rate dipping to 2.21%, suggesting markets expect cooling—but streaming prices aren't cooperating. A practical look at how to audit your subscriptions and decide what's worth keeping.

#Inflation #Streaming #Netflix #DisneyPlus #Spotify #SubscriptionCreep #CPI #CoreInflation #PersonalFinance #Budgeting #EntertainmentCosts #AdSupported #PriceHikes #ConsumerSpending #Finance #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #PurchasingPower

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Episode 70 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna dive into a hidden inflation casualty: used car trade-in values. While headlines celebrate falling used car prices, Lucas explains how depreciation is accelerating for many models, and why that matters for your personal inflation rate. They reference recent CPI data, the ten-year breakeven inflation rate at 2.23 percent, and the surprising drop in silver prices. The hosts also discuss practical strategies to protect your car's value, from timing your trade to choosing the right vehicle segment. A must-listen for anyone planning to buy or sell a car in the current market.

#Inflation #UsedCars #TradeIn #CarDepreciation #PersonalFinance #CPI #BreakevenInflation #Silver #Gold #GDX #Commodities #Fed #InterestRates #CarBuying #Depreciation #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #InflationAndYourMoney

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Episode 69 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo examines a critical blind spot in most household budgets: medical costs are rising far faster than headline inflation. Lucas and Luna break down the latest CPI data, showing that medical care services are up 6.2% year-over-year versus core CPI at 3.1%. They explore how this gap affects deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums, and the real value of Health Savings Accounts. The hosts also discuss a recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation revealing that employer-sponsored health insurance premiums jumped 8.7% in 2025. Specific strategies: why front-loading an HSA now can lock in pre-tax dollars that grow tax-free, and how high-deductible plans paired with HSAs might be the smartest inflation hedge in your portfolio. They close with a look at how Medicare Advantage plans are changing the landscape for retirees. No fluff—just actionable insights for protecting your purchasing power when medical bills inflate faster than your paycheck.

#MedicalInflation #HealthInsurance #HSATips #InflationAndYourMoney #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Finance #PersonalFinance #CPI #HealthcareCosts #Deductibles #OutOfPocketMax #KaiserFamilyFoundation #MedicareAdvantage #HighDeductiblePlan #TaxFreeGrowth #PurchasingPower #InflationHedge

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