On this week’s episode of The Personal Wealth Coach, Jake flies solo while Jeff journeys home from North Carolina, and the markets take a similar solo dive. With the S&P 500 and bond yields sliding and oil prices rising, Jake unpacks a week that feels more like a financial soap opera than an economy in motion.

We’re talking GDP surprises, sticky inflation, a labor market that’s losing steam, and a Federal Reserve stuck between fighting inflation and preserving jobs. Add in confusing tariff news, stalling housing starts, and a disposable income boost driven mostly by government checks, and you’ve got a recipe for uncertainty.

Jake also explores the upside of a generation of unemployed grads, why autonomous trucks might be the future of logistics, and how tomato prices could reshape American agriculture. It's part market update, part economic philosophy, and part stand-up routine for finance nerds.

If you like your data with a side of humor and actual insight, you’re in the right place.

This episode was recorded on August 1st, 2025.

If you would like to contact us, please send an email to us at Jeff@tpwc.com or Jake@tpwc.com. We are happy to address any of your questions about Economics and Finance.

If you are ready and would like to book an appointment either in office or over the phone, you can also send a message to us through the contact form on our website TPWC.com.

** The information provided in this episode is for educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. We are “The Personal Wealth Coach,” which is also the name of an SEC-registered investment advisory firm. However, being registered with the SEC does not authorize us to provide investment advice. Investment advice should be personalized, offered in a private setting, and be in the best interests of the individual as a fiduciary. If we make any fraudulent statements, you should report them to the SEC. The information presented in this educational episode has been obtained from sources that we deem to be reliable, but we make no warranty or guarantee as to the completeness or accuracy of said information.

This week on The Personal Wealth Coach, Jake flies solo while Jeff soaks up the 70-degree glory of North Carolina. Meanwhile, back in the Texas heat, Jake unpacks the cooler but far more volatile world of markets, memes, and mergers. From meme stocks to durable goods orders, from a record-breaking S&P 500 to a plummeting oil price, this episode peels back the layers (and metaphors) to reveal what’s really going on beneath the economic headlines.

And then there’s the juicy stuff—like why CBS may have axed Colbert’s show and what a $16 million lawsuit has to do with a $5 billion merger. Is it political? Is it corporate bean-counting? Is it both? Jake breaks it down, biases and all. Throw in some behavioral economics, frothy AI speculation, and the long tail of internet infrastructure, and you’ve got yourself a whirlwind tour of money, power, and why uncertainty might be the only thing that’s certain right now.

This episode was recorded on July 25th, 2025.

If you would like to contact us, please send an email to us at Jeff@tpwc.com or Jake@tpwc.com. We are happy to address any of your questions about Economics and Finance.

If you are ready and would like to book an appointment either in office or over the phone, you can also send a message to us through the contact form on our website TPWC.com.

** The information provided in this episode is for educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. We are “The Personal Wealth Coach,” which is also the name of an SEC-registered investment advisory firm. However, being registered with the SEC does not authorize us to provide investment advice. Investment advice should be personalized, offered in a private setting, and be in the best interests of the individual as a fiduciary. If we make any fraudulent statements, you should report them to the SEC. The information presented in this educational episode has been obtained from sources that we deem to be reliable, but we make no warranty or guarantee as to the completeness or accuracy of said information.

Jake and Jeff are back in sync—despite a thousand miles of separation—to make sense of the week ending July 18th, 2025. The S&P managed a modest climb, bonds are still dragging their heels, and the Federal Reserve is somehow both everywhere and completely misunderstood. They pull back the curtain on how interest rate decisions are actually made (hint: it’s not just Jerome Powell flipping switches), and why political spin rarely matches economic reality.

Then it’s on to the shiny, confusing world of stablecoins. Congress has passed the “Genius Act”—an oddly nameless bill that promises to regulate digital currency while raising more questions than it answers. What’s backing these coins? Who’s issuing them? And should Visa and Mastercard be nervous that Walmart’s about to become your new bank?

Throw in a few well-placed warnings about private investments and some musings on global financial instability, and you’ve got an episode that’s both informative and refreshingly candid.

This episode was recorded on July 18th, 2025.

If you would like to contact us, please send an email to us at Jeff@tpwc.com or Jake@tpwc.com. We are happy to address any of your questions about Economics and Finance.

If you are ready and would like to book an appointment either in office or over the phone, you can also send a message to us through the contact form on our website TPWC.com.

** The information provided in this episode is for educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. We are “The Personal Wealth Coach,” which is also the name of an SEC-registered investment advisory firm. However, being registered with the SEC does not authorize us to provide investment advice. Investment advice should be personalized, offered in a private setting, and be in the best interests of the individual as a fiduciary. If we make any fraudulent statements, you should report them to the SEC. The information presented in this educational episode has been obtained from sources that we deem to be reliable, but we make no warranty or guarantee as to the completeness or accuracy of said information.