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We offer a holistic comprehensive services to help clients prioritize and attain their life goals by making smart financial decisions.

10/28/2026

Thinking about a home? Here is what a rate difference looks like in dollars.

Freddie Mac reported that the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 7.32% as of October 22, 2026, compared with 6.19% a year earlier. On a $300,000 loan, that is about $225 more a month in principal and interest (IMC calculation, before taxes and insurance).

Source: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, as of October 22, 2026

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10/27/2026

The national unemployment rate in September was 4.2%. Do you know what your state's was?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on October 20, 2026 that state rates ranged from 2.0% in South Dakota to 5.6% in the District of Columbia. A national average blends all of them together.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, State Employment and Unemployment, September 2026

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10/26/2026

Do you know which of your rates can change?

The Federal Reserve's policy committee meets October 27 and 28. Since September 16, its target range for the federal funds rate has been 3.75% to 4%. Variable-rate products, such as many credit cards, often move with that range.

A quarter-point (0.25%) is $25 a year on a $10,000 variable balance. A good time to check which of your own statements say variable.

Source: Federal Reserve Board, FOMC calendar and September 16, 2026 statement

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10/23/2026

Ever heard of the Beige Book? It is the Federal Reserve's collection of what businesses around the country are saying about the economy, and it comes out eight times a year.

In the edition released October 14, 2026: most of the Fed's 12 regional Districts reported little or no change in consumer spending, and over half noted that spending was driven by high-income households. Employment was little changed in most Districts, and five Districts said some firms had let headcount shrink as people left, delayed hiring, or expected less job creation after investing in AI. Higher oil prices showed up in every District's report.

It is mostly qualitative, not statistics, but it shows the texture behind the numbers.

Source: Federal Reserve, Beige Book, October 2026 (released October 14, 2026)

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10/22/2026

If you run a business, or work for one: what is the biggest problem you are dealing with?

In NFIB's September 2026 survey of its small-business members, released October 13, 26% named labor quality or availability as their single most important problem. For 20%, it was inflation. Overall, NFIB's Small Business Optimism Index came in at 97.9, just under its 52-year average of 98.0.

What are you seeing where you work?

Source: NFIB Small Business Economic Trends, September 2026 (released October 13, 2026)

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10/21/2026

Did your last raise keep up with prices?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on October 14, 2026 that real average hourly earnings, which adjust pay for inflation, fell 0.7% from September 2025 to September 2026. Consumer prices rose 3.7% over the same 12 months.

Real weekly earnings were down only 0.1%, because a 0.6% longer average workweek offset most of the hourly decline.

Those are averages across all employees. One way to check your own: set your last raise next to that 3.7%.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Real Earnings and Consumer Price Index, September 2026

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10/20/2026

What does it mean when earnings come in above estimates? Here is how it works.

Analysts publish estimates of what a company will earn. When the company reports, the actual results are compared with the estimate. FactSet's October 9, 2026 Earnings Insight noted that for the S&P 500 (an index of 500 large U.S. companies), actual earnings growth has come in above the estimate at the end of the quarter in 37 of the past 40 quarters.

A beat is a comparison to a bar. Whether a stock moves afterward is a separate question, and a streak of past beats does not settle the next report.

Source: FactSet Earnings Insight, October 9, 2026

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10/19/2026

Is your workplace using AI yet?

In the Census Bureau's Business Trends and Outlook Survey, published October 8, 2026, 23.8% of U.S. employer businesses said they used AI in the two weeks ending September 20. Another 66.4% of businesses said they did not use AI, and 9.8% were not sure.

At the end of December 2025, the figure was 17.7%. In the same October 8 release, 27.7% of businesses said they expect to use AI in the next six months.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey (published October 8, 2026)

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10/16/2026

If you or a parent plan to change Medicare coverage, Monday, December 7 is the open enrollment deadline.

Open enrollment started October 15. During it, you can join, drop, or change a Medicare Advantage Plan (a plan offered by a private company), add or drop drug coverage, or move between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Coverage starts January 1, and the plan has to get your request by December 7.

Already in a Medicare Advantage Plan? You get a separate window, January 1 to March 31.

If you are sorting this out with a parent, the Medicare Plan Finder on Medicare.gov is a good place to see plans in your area. Adding every regular prescription gives the most accurate cost estimate. For free one-on-one help that is not tied to any insurance company, contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Source: Medicare.gov

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10/15/2026

AI is cited in many layoff announcements. The numbers add some context.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas tracks announced layoffs and the reasons employers give. Its report released October 1, 2026 shows AI is the top reason through September, at 120,136 of 573,195 announced cuts. That is about 1 in 5. The other 4 in 5 cite something else, and in September alone AI ranked fifth.

Worth remembering: this is what companies announce, not a study of what caused each cut. Employers also announced 210,612 planned hires through September, up 3% from 2025.

Andy Challenger, the firm's workplace expert and chief revenue officer, described the employer climate this way in the report: "Companies are in a wait-and-see period right now."

What is one skill in your line of work that keeps showing up in job postings, no matter what the headlines say?

Source: Challenger, Gray & Christmas, October 1, 2026

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418 19th Street Ensley
Birmingham, AL
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