Investments
By Amanda Carlson Here's a fact that sounds impossible until you see the data: about 41% of American workers earning between $300,000 and $500,000 annually live paycheck to paycheck. So do 40% of those making over $500,000. Meanwhile, people earning modest incomes who practice solid
Explainers
When headlines celebrate inflation "cooling" to 2.7%, you might wonder why your grocery bill still feels crushing. The answer reveals something fundamental about how inflation works and why it doesn't affect everyone equally. What Inflation Actually Means Inflation measures how fast prices are rising, not
Fiscal Policy
From healthcare to infrastructure to jobs, connecting policy to people By David Thornton When politicians debate spending bills in Washington, it's easy to tune out. Billions here, trillions there, the numbers feel abstract, disconnected from your morning commute or your family's health insurance. But government spending
Money & Markets
When people talk about "global markets," they usually mean the U.S. stock market. But in 2026, several other markets matter just as much not necessarily for their investment returns, but because they're reshaping trade, controlling critical resources, or driving structural changes that affect the entire
Economic Pulse
A big-picture snapshot of growth, inflation and risk across major regions By David Thornton If you've been wondering whether the world economy can handle all the uncertainty thrown at it lately, here's the short answer: surprisingly well, but with some serious caveats. The Big Picture on
Explainers
When the Federal Reserve announces it's keeping interest rates steady or cutting them by a quarter point, it might sound abstract and distant from your life. But that decision determines whether you can afford a house, how much you earn on your savings, and what you'll
Investments
Explores individuals, social media, and market psychology By Rajesh Sharma Five years ago, individual investors were an afterthought in market analysis. They represented background noise, a small fraction of trading volume that institutional investors could safely ignore. That world is gone. Retail investors now account for roughly 20.5% of
Explainers
When headlines talk about recession fears or economic slowdowns, they're often used interchangeably but they're actually very different things. Understanding this distinction matters because one describes an economy that's struggling but still growing, while the other describes an economy that's actively shrinking.
Investments
Cuts through short-term noise By Laura Fitzgerald If you check your portfolio every day, you're probably exhausted. The market goes up, the market goes down, headlines scream about rallies and crashes, and you're left wondering: does any of this actually matter for my retirement account? Here&
Economic Pulse
Explains productivity, technology, labor, and long-term economic health By David Thornton If you've noticed economists suddenly getting excited about "productivity," you're not imagining things. It's become the economic buzzword of 2026, and for good reason, recent numbers suggest something important might be
Economic growth
By Amanda Carlson When economists say inflation is "cooling" to 2.7%, it sounds like good news. But if you're standing in the grocery store staring at prices that seem permanently higher, you're experiencing the reality those statistics miss: inflation doesn't reverse.
Money & Markets
A behavioral and macro look at volatility By Rajesh Sharma You check your portfolio in the morning and it's down 2%. By lunch, it's recovered. No major news broke. No company announced bankruptcy. No crisis erupted. So why did the market just swing hundreds of billions