Alexander Gray - Financial Advisor

07/18/2026

🌞 Did you know schools in the South tend to start the school year the earliest? 🌞

📚 As the back-to-school season approaches, approximately 54.1 million K-12 students and 5.7 million teachers are gearing up to head back to classrooms this fall. 📚

🍎 Teachers are the largest group among the nearly 10 million individuals employed in the country's elementary and secondary schools, which also include principals, school bus monitors, teaching assistants, and janitors. 🚌👩‍🏫



Information from the U.S. Census Bureau

07/17/2026

Retaining great employees starts with showing them their future matters. This post spotlights the SIMPLE IRA as an accessible retirement option designed with smaller teams in mind, giving business owners a specific, tangible reason to start the conversation.

07/15/2026

When it comes to small business retirement options, the choices can feel overwhelming. This post highlights that a SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA, and 401(k) are structured differently, and that the right fit depends on business size, number of employees, and overall goals.

07/14/2026

Small business owners often think of their employees as family, but are they set up like it? This post opens the conversation around retirement options available to small business employees, reminding owners that a 401(k) isn't the only choice and that some options are built specifically for smaller teams.

06/27/2026

Money wisdom from Ben Franklin!

06/26/2026

Have you bought your ticket to Mars? The IPO market is heating up these days with two more big names preparing to debut in autumn.

06/24/2026

Trump Accounts opened on July 4. A few questions are worth considering:

➡️ Our baby is 18 months old. Do we qualify for the $1,000?

Yes. Every U.S. citizen baby born since January 1, 2025, qualifies for a one-time $1,000 federal contribution.

➡️ Is there an income maximum?

No. Eligibility is based on the child's citizenship and birth date, not family income.

➡️ Our child is 7. Did we miss it?

Not entirely. Any U.S. citizen under 18 can have an account opened. The federal $1,000 payment applies only to children born in 2025 through 2028, but everything else still applies.

➡️ Can grandparents contribute?

Yes. Up to $5,000 per year combined across parents, grandparents, family, and the child themselves.

➡️ What is the catch?

State tax conformity varies; California, for example, does not currently conform.

Whether to contribute, how much, and how to coordinate it with what you already have are all worth talking through. Our team is here for that.

06/23/2026

Treasury yields have risen as bond prices have fallen, reflecting renewed attention to inflation, interest rates, and investor sentiment.

Treasurys are U.S. government bonds, and their yields often move based on expectations for inflation, economic growth, and Federal Reserve policy.

When inflation remains elevated, investors may expect interest rates to stay higher for longer. That can make existing bonds less attractive, pushing prices down and yields up.

Higher Treasury yields can also affect other parts of the economy. The 10-year Treasury, for example, is closely tied to mortgage rates, which can influence homebuyers' borrowing costs.

Rising yields may also affect corporate borrowing, stock valuations, and the broader cost of capital.

While higher yields can signal concern, they can also reflect a market adjusting to new economic data. For consumers and businesses, the key takeaway is that bond market movement can ripple into borrowing costs and financial decisions over time.


Source:

U.S. government bonds are sagging as investors fret that hotter inflation will keep interest rate cuts on hold.

06/13/2026

06/12/2026

The timeline for normal shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains an important focus for global markets.

Recent prediction market activity suggests uncertainty around how quickly traffic through the strait could return to typical levels, even if broader diplomatic progress continues.

The Strait of Hormuz is a key route for global energy shipments, so changes in shipping activity can affect oil markets, fuel prices, transportation costs, and broader inflation trends.

Traders recently placed a 38% probability on traffic returning to normal by July 1, with higher odds for a later timeline.

While these numbers can change quickly, they offer a snapshot of how markets are weighing geopolitical risk, energy supply, and timing.

For households and businesses, the broader takeaway is that global shipping routes can significantly affect everyday costs, especially when energy markets are already under pressure.


Source:

Despite reports Iran could return the passageway to normal traffic flows within a month of a peace deal, Kalshi traders thought that was unlikely.