Every Monday, for the last year or more, I've been providing my Instagram followers and Family Finance Moms group members with a detailed, weekly market update. It covers market performance, key economic indicators, both leading and lagging, as well as financial news highlights from the week before and what to anticipate in the week ahead.

Going forward, I will now publish all the same market update content here on the blog. This is for ease of readability and more permanent accessibility given your feedback. You can also find more in-depth Economic Recovery Tracking post from 2020 with lengthier historical context here, as well as a State of the Economic Recovery as of Fall 2021 here.

S4-10: Budgeting for the Holidays & Choosing a 529 Plan

11/16/2023

Thank you for sharing! 0 shares Share Tweet Pin LinkedIn Reddit Email Print Mix On this week’s episode of Finance Explained, Meghan discussed concerns about rising HELOC interest rates. Meghan discussed the challenges many families face this holiday season due to inflation and uncertainty in the economy, encouraging individuals to set their own boundaries with their personal finances when budgeting for the holidays. Meghan discussed the best type of account to set up for kids’ savings, how to choose a 529 plan, and more! Listen in its entirety, and check out the summary with related supporting resources below. Meghan, a personal…

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S4-9: US Consumer Credit Rising, Finance in Mainstream Media & Planners vs. Advisors

11/08/2023

On this week’s episode of Finance Explained, Meghan discussed the operation of a 529 Plan, how to save money on school photos, the WeWork bankruptcy and its implications for commercial real estate and banks more broadly. She also covered the differences between a financial planner and a financial advisor and the latest from the Fed on rising US consumer credit balances and delinquencies. Listen in its entirety, and check out the summary with related supporting resources below. Can I use a 529 Plan for a Child that is Not Legally Mine? Meghan began by addressing a question about the use…

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S4-8: Rising Interest Rates, Velocity Banking & HELOCs

11/02/2023

At the request of Family Finance Mom followers, I am now posting LIVE Q&A replays as podcast episodes! To submit your question, be sure to follow me ⁠⁠@FamilyFinanceMom on Instagram⁠⁠. Look for the question box in my stories ahead of LIVE Q&A every Wednesday at 9AM ET. On today’s episode, Meghan discusses the current economy, the importance of minimizing variable cost debt due to rising interest rates, the concept of velocity banking, and how to use a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) wisely. She also discussed whether the government can incentivize companies to minimize their profits as a solution to…

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S4-7: Federal Deficits, International Aid & HSAs

10/25/2023

At the request of Family Finance Mom followers, I am now posting LIVE Q&A replays as podcast episodes! To submit your question, be sure to follow me ⁠⁠@FamilyFinanceMom on Instagram⁠⁠. Look for the question box in my stories ahead of LIVE Q&A every Wednesday at 9AM ET. On today’s episode, we talked about the likelihood of a Q4 stock market rally, the $1.7 trillion federal deficit for 2023, the benefits of using HSAs, next month’s Fed interest rate decision, WARN notices, and how consumer sentiment around international aid is being impacted by the federal deficit. See full show notes below and…

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S3-4: Q3 GDP Surprise, Bear Market Rally & A Deep Dive on How to Get Scholarships for College

11/03/2022

As October neared its close last week, markets rallied to post positive monthly returns for just the third time this year. Is it a bear market rally or have we seen the bottom and are we on our way to recovery? Behind the rally? We had a positive Q3 GDP surprise and a range of data points from Q3 earnings. After that, we will take a deep dive on how to find scholarships for college with scholarship expert and author, Jean O’Toole. While everyone else is waiting on the courts to decide on student loan forgiveness, let’s talk about something…

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S3-3: What is OPEC, the Labor Market & A Deep Dive on the Importance of Understanding Our Economy

10/13/2022

It was another eventful week for the markets and global economy last week. OPEC+ made waves economically and politically with its announcement to cut oil production, major employment releases sent mixed messages on the labor market, and more on the Twitter / Musk buyout as the saga continues. To learn more on all of these, including what is OPEC, along with a deep dive with our Q4 FFM Book Club author Howard Yaruss on the importance of understanding our economy, read on or listen to the full episode of Finance Explained below. What’s Moving Markets? Early last week, the stock…

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S3-2: Bear Market, the British Pound & A Deep Dive on Estate and Will Planning

10/05/2022

It feels like I start every week off this way lately, but last week was a newsworthy one for financial markets in many ways. All major US stock indices – the Dow, S&P 500, and the Nasdaq – are all firmly in bear market territory. Market volatility continues to remain high, and last week was exacerbated by a plunge in the British Pound, reflecting investors’ concerns around the new Prime Minister’s fiscal policy plans. And the PCE Price Index for August, the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation released last Friday, showed little sign of inflation alleviating. I will dive into…

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S3-1: Is the US Economy Currently in a Recession?

09/22/2022

After my annual summer hiatus, there’s one question I have been getting more than any other: are we in a recession? By traditional historical measures, knowing what happens during a recession, the short answer is likely yes. But the official group that declares recessions has not yet, so what are they waiting for? Here are the key data points I’ve been tracking this summer and what they tell us about the current state of the economy, the likelihood of a recession, and what you can do to protect your family through this phase of the economic cycle. Read on or…

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S2-20: Market Free Fall, April Inflation & Deep Dive on Why is Childcare So Expensive

05/17/2022

Last week, we saw the 6th consecutive week of down markets, with both the S&P 500 and NASDAQ hitting new lows, as investors continue to digest the latest Fed rate hike and last week’s April inflation numbers. Catch it all on this week’s podcast, along with a deep dive on the childcare dilemma featuring three Early Childcare Center directors to talk about the challenges facing their industry, why is childcare so expensive, and the impact it has on the economy more broadly. Weekly Market Update Last week, the market continued its downward trend, finishing down -2.41%, the sixth consecutive week…

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