Over recent years, today's expert has consistently been one of the best predictors of where the inflation rate was headed.So, where does he see it heading from here? How about interest rates?And, why is he calling the Federal Reserve an "engine of income inequality?To find out, we have the good fortune to sit down and get a full update today from Steve Hanke, professor of applied economics at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com

Wall Street likes predictability.And that's proving quite elusive these days.Which explains why stocks have been performing poorly of late.Too many curveballs, many thrown by the new Trump Administration's ever-changing tariff policies, are making it nearly impossible for analysts to make earnings forecasts that aren't completely outdated by the next morning's news cycle.Does that mean stocks will continue struggling from here?It's quite possible, says portfolio manager Lance Roberts. Technical analysis still suggests stocks are short-term oversold and could bounce soon...but if the curveballs keep coming as fast & furiously as they have been, that uncertainty could keep a sustained rally from happening.We discuss this, the latest PCE and personal spending data, DOGE and debt, credit spreads, gold and Lance's firm's recent trades in this new Market Recap.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com

There's a lot of debate right now whether the US is indeed at risk of entering a recession this year.And at the same time, the stock market has become a lot more volatile, swinging between Risk On and Risk Off as Wall Street sentiment becomes increasingly bipolar.Who is more likely to be proven right this year: the optimists or the pessimists?For answers, we turn to the experience and wisdom of financial advisor Ted Oakley, managing partner & founder of Oxbow Advisors.Ted has over 40 years experience helping clients, mostly high net worth families, protect and build wealth through good times and bad. We'll find out how he's currently positioning his clients assets for the road ahead.

SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.comMacro & market analyst Stephanie Pomboy shares the latest investing trends that have her attention + takes live Q&A from the viewing audience

After embracing the "no landing narrative" last year and later unleashing animal spirits after the Presidential election that drove stocks to record levels of euphoria, the national mood has turned substantially more dour.Suddenly, the headlines are filled with fears of recession.The post-COVID higher cost of living and the uncertainty caused by the new Administration's policies has many fearing for their household budgets, their portfolios, and their jobs.Are things really this bad?After all, the economy is still growing, inflation has moderated (mostly), and unemployment remains low.When there are so many crosscurrents as there are today, it's prudent to seek the counsel of those who take. cold and calculated look at the data, to see what "is" vs what our biases may want us to see.Which is why we're fortunate to speak with macro analyst Wolf Richter of WolfStreet.com, who will share with us what the charts he regularly compiles are telling him about the true state of today's economy & markets._____________________________________________ Thoughtful Money LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor Promoter.We produce educational content geared for the individual investor. It’s important to note that this content is NOT investment advice, individual or otherwise, nor should be construed as such.We recommend that most investors, especially if inexperienced, should consider benefiting from the direction and guidance of a qualified financial advisor in good standing with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) who can develop & implement a personalized financial plan based on a customer’s unique goals, needs & risk tolerance.IMPORTANT NOTE: There are risks associated with investing in securities.Investing in stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds, mutual funds, and money market funds involve risk of loss. Loss of principal is possible. Some high risk investments may use leverage, which will accentuate gains & losses. Foreign investing involves special risks, including a greater volatility and political, economic and currency risks and differences in accounting methods.A security’s or a firm’s past investment performance is not a guarantee or predictor of future investment performance.Thoughtful Money and the Thoughtful Money logo are trademarks of Thoughtful Money LLC.Copyright © 2025 Thoughtful Money LLC. All rights reserved.

To better understand the odds for success of the economic policies of the new Trump Administration, it helps to talk to someone with first-hand experience in managing the Federal budget.Today's guest, has been a true insider in both Washington DC and Wall Street for his extremely long & accomplished career.We're fortunate today to speak with former Congressman, economic policymaker & financier, David Stockman -- who served a the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan.He's also the author of the new book: 'How To Cut $2 Trillion: A Blueprint From Ronald Reagan’s Budget Cutter To Musk, Ramaswamy And The DOGE Team'.We'll hear his advice for bringing the runaway fiscal deficit under control, and whether he thinks the Administration is indeed up to the task.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com

Yesterday, the S&P 500 (barely) broke a 4-week losing streak of down weeks.On a technical level, stocks remain extremely oversold here and sentiment is similarly at a negative extreme.As portfolio manager Lance Roberts notes, conditions like these are ripe for a market reversal. In his opinion, the odds favor a rally in the near term -- perhaps as soon as next week.We discuss the reasons why, as well as the latest Fed guidance, the true risk of recession, bonds, Tesla, and Lance's firm's latest trades in this Weekly Market Recap.

The new Trump Administration has wasted no time deploying its ambitious and disruptive economic policies.Tax cuts, aggressive trade re-negotiations, de-regulation, DOGE-driven cost reductions -- a potential new sovereign wealth fund.What are the intended benefits of these policies? Are they likely to succeed? Are they being implemented in the right way? Might they tip the economy into recession before the long term benefits materialize?I can think of few better people to ask these questions to than today's guest, who has served in the past as an economic advisor to President Elect Trump - as well as to many other previous presidential administrations, both Democrat & RepublicanToday, we're fortunate to welcome back to the program economist Dr Arthur Laffer. He was the first to hold the title of Chief Economist at the Office of Management and Budget in the early 1970s. He then later served as a member of President Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board. He's perhaps best known for developing the Laffer curve, a model for determining the optimal balance between tax revenues and economic growth.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com

An hour ago, the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee released the outcome of its meeting this week, keeping its policy rate unchanged (as expected) but slowing the pace of its Quantitative Tightening program.And just a little while ago, Fed Chair Jerome Powell just wrapped up his press conference related to this release. The market’s reaction (so far) has been positive.My bullet-point notes to Powell’s conference are below.And I’m also happy to announce that Fed-watcher Axel Merk is joining us again to deliver his expert reaction to the Fed’s latest guidance as well as take your questions live.

Well, the Spring Thoughtful Money conference was held online this past weekend and I’m delighted to say the event was a real success.That was due primarily to the amazing line-up of speakers who presented and took live audience Q&A throughout the insight-packed 10-hour day.Lacy Hunt delivered the keynote, followed by Luke Gromen, Michael Howell, Darius Dale, Sven Henrich, Brent Johnson, Thomas Hoenig, Danielle DiMartino Booth, Mike Green, Andy Schectman, John Thorndike (GM), Louis-Vincent Gave, Steven Bavaria, Lyn Alden, Melody Wright, New Harbor Financial and Jonathan Wellum. And Jeff Clark provided a bonus video focused on gold & silver mining stocks.For those of you who didn’t attend, I thought you’d enjoy hearing some of the conference highlights.