Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 29mThe U.S. annual budget deficit just hit its highest level since COVID. The THIRD-LARGEST in American history. Almost $2 TRILLION in a year. The government spent 37% more than it collected. And somehow, this isn’t the biggest financial story in America right now. 74224
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 20hThe rise in inflation on everyday goods came entirely from Trump’s tariffs, New York Fed research found. New analysis shows the tariffs raised consumer prices by 2.9% by February. Without the tariffs, prices on the goods studied would’ve fallen. 58451
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 08/10/2026Layoffs announced in 2026 so far: Volkswagen: 50,000 employees UPS: 30,000 employees Oracle: 21,000 employees Amazon: 17,500 employees Meta: 10,500 employees Heineken: 6,000 employees Microsoft: 5,500 employees PayPal: 4,500 employees Uber: 3,300 employees 129059
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 07/10/2026POV: you just made your first mortgage payment on your new $500k home at 8% and found out your next-door neighbor paid $300k for the same home 5 years ago and has a 3% mortgage 1210518
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 05/10/2026Anthropic is now worth $965B. JPMorgan, the biggest bank in America, is worth $900B. One took 227 years to get here. The other took 5. 3212733
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 05/10/2026Costco is packed at 10am on a Monday. The parking lot is full. Everyone looks 25 to 35. This definitely a recession indicator if I’ve ever seen one. 1810320
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 05/10/2026JUST IN: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the world "should accept some bad things happening" for AI’s benefits. Who gets to decide how much harm society should accept in the name of “progress”? 2112733
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 03/10/2026The number of grown adults who think they're getting a $5,000 midterm check is mind-blowing 2918523
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 03/10/2026Where are the DOGE checks? Where are lower mortgage rates? What happened to gas under $2? Where are the $2,000 tariff checks? When are electric bills being cut in half? What happened to bringing grocery prices down? What happened to the “1,500%” prescription discounts? 2122075
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 02/10/202610 years ago, the mortgage rate was 3.47% and the median home cost $232,200. Today the rate is 7.3% and the median home costs $429,100. 68837
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 01/10/2026You can’t afford a home because homes stopped being homes and became investments for people who already own one. 1111429
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 01/10/2026JUST IN: Meta is using AI data centers to claim research tax credits, according to the NYT. Its total research credits reached almost $4,000,000,000 in 2025 alone. 811557
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 30/09/2026Maturing is realizing the biggest flex isn’t an expensive car. It’s a car with $0 monthly payment. 814317
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 29/09/2026Nobody wants to borrow $500,000 at an 8% interest rate After 10 years of payments you'll still owe $438,600 Nobody is buying a home today with an 8% interest rate. It's not happening. 98624
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 29/09/2026The price of a Costco rotisserie chicken every year since it was introduced: 1994: $4.99 1995: $4.99 1996: $4.99 1997: $4.99 1998: $4.99 1999: $4.99 2000: $4.99 2001: $4.99 2002: $4.99 2003: $4.99 2004: $4.99 2005: $4.99 2006: $4.99 2007: $4.99 2008: $4.99 2009: $4.99 2010: $4.99 8709
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 28/09/2026Trump is now responsible for 29% of our national debt. That's more than any President in American history. What happened to DOGE? 2114655
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 26/09/20267 years ago: Mortgage rates were 3.5% Gas was $2.60 a gallon Inflation was under 2% Unemployment was its lowest since 1969 Now: Mortgage rates are almost 8% Gas is almost $5 a gallon Inflation is 3.4% Unemployment is now over 4% What happened? 2612540
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 26/09/2026My wife asked me to say something romantic. I told her our mortgage is 2.5%. 141399
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 25/09/2026People who locked in a mortgage at 2% in 2021 611915
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 23/09/2026Me: “ChatGPT, what can I write off on my taxes?” ChatGPT: “Your car, groceries, vacations, rent, clothes, gym, Netflix, dog, wedding.” files taxes… 6 months later Me: “ChatGPT, I got audited. IRS says I owe $50,000 for tax fraud.” ChatGPT: “You’re right. Want me to explain how to survive jail?” 49014
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 23/09/20265 years ago mortgage rates were 3% and the average new home cost $450,000. Today, mortgage rates are 7% and the average new home costs $510,000. This is what destroyed housing affordability. 98222
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 22/09/2026I got an MRI and they gave me 2 options: Pay $1,300 out of pocket or bill my health insurance I picked insurance They billed my insurance $8,000 Health insurance math is incredible lmao 2311724
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 21/09/2026gas prices so crazy I finally signed up for the reward points program at Exxon 4586
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 21/09/2026Nobody wants a $500,000 mortgage at a 7.5% interest rate. It’s not happening. After 36 months of payments, you’ll still owe $485,071. You’ll have paid $125,859. $110,930 of it went to interest. 1410732
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 19/09/2026just heard someone say they don't care how high gas prices get because they only put in $25 every time 2913114
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 18/09/2026The median first time homebuyer is now 40 years old (a record high) and first time buyers are only 21% of all home buyers (a record low). A whole generation under 30 is figuring out that a home & a family will never be within reach for them. Society is not ready for what that does. 1617856
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 15/09/2026“Mortgages can’t keep going up every single day” Mortgage rates: 5504
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 15/09/2026Boomers: I bought my first house at 25 for $50,000. Millennials: I’m 30 with 3 roommates & 2 jobs. Gen Z: 77916
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 15/09/202630-year mortgage rates just hit 7.17% A $500,000 mortgage over 30 years: $1,891/month at 2.17% $3,384/month at 7.17% That’s $537,500 more for the same home And the odds of a Fed rate hike this week are 92% Homeownership has become a luxury 67934
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 15/09/2026Anthropic valuation: $965B Walmart valuation: $870B Anthropic revenue: $65B Walmart revenue: $713B Totally normal, right? 1115244
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 13/09/2026Trump rejects calls to slow AI development, saying he wants the U.S. to stay ahead of China. “We’re leading China in AI. We’re the most sophisticated country in the world.” 253814
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 13/09/2026Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Dario Amodei all agree AI development needs to slow down. What have they seen that we haven’t? What happened behind closed doors? What haven’t they told us? 2510237
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 12/09/2026You’re paying 4x more for RAM because memory that hasn’t been made has already been bought with money that doesn’t exist GPUs haven’t been built. Neither have data centers. Infrastructure to power them may never exist. All to satisfy demand that doesn’t exist & generate profits that are impossible 717160
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 04/09/2026They don't leave Congress because the grift is too good. Chuck Grassley: 92 Eleanor Holmes Norton: 89 Hal Rogers: 88 Maxine Waters: 88 Steny Hoyer: 87 Nancy Pelosi: 86 Jim Clyburn: 86 Mitch McConnell: 84 John Carter: 84 Jim Risch: 83 Virginia Foxx: 83 Angus King: 82 No age limit. No term limit. 2113030
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 03/09/2026Unpopular opinion: Having a paid off car makes you never want to sign another car loan ever again. 131145
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 01/09/2026Imagine trusting Robert Kiyosaki for financial advice 3543
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 28/08/2026US corporate profits just hit a record high. Worker payouts have dropped to their lowest levels since the 1950s. You do not hate corporate greed enough. 1418269
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 27/08/2026“best foods to stock up on” “how much food does one person need for a year” “how to grow my own food” 68422
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 27/08/2026JUST IN: JPMorgan warns a global food supply shock could hit within the next year. NOAA says there’s a greater than 90% chance this El Niño will be “very strong” through fall and winter. For October through December, that chance rises to 95%. 210153
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 26/08/2026JUST IN: July’s PCE inflation is now 3.7%. Above expectations. Core PCE is now 3.3%. The Fed’s target is 2%. Core inflation has stayed above 2% for over 5 years now. And 3 Fed officials already voted to HIKE rates in July. These numbers just gave them more reasons to. 35415
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 26/08/2026Warren Buffett’s solution to the US deficit: “Anytime there’s a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.” Do you agree with him? 1917441
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 25/08/2026Canada just put 15% to 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of US products. The US raises tariffs. Americans pay more. Canada retaliates. Then American businesses lose sales. Then the US raises tariffs again. And Americans pay even more. 58314
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 25/08/2026People with NO health coverage: 🇺🇸 27 million 🇯🇵 0 🇩🇪 0 🇬🇧 0 🇫🇷 0 🇮🇹 0 🇪🇸 0 🇨🇦 0 🇦🇺 0 🇳🇱 0 🇵🇹 0 🇮🇪 0 Getting healthcare shouldn’t mean going into debt. 722070
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 25/08/2026If your parents made $100K in 1990, you’d need $255K to have the same buying power today. $255K is the new $100K Let that sink in 612427
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 24/08/2026The US added more debt in the last 10 years than in its first 240 years. The CBO projects federal debt held by the public will hit 175% of GDP by 2056. Net interest costs will top $1 trillion this year and double to $2.1 trillion by 2036. Congress keeps postponing the pain. The bond market won’t. 119341
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 23/08/2026If your parents made $50K in the 90s, you need to make $130K in 2026 to have the same buying power. $130K is the new $50K Let that sink in 1310641
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 23/08/2026President Trump made 1,051 trades in June, valued between $78.1 million and $263.1 million. That’s a thousand trades in one month 50 trades per day This is a professional trading operation lol 1313358
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 23/08/2026Pay very close attention to what’s happening in the bond market. Trump was asked what he’ll do after Treasury yields rose again. He said the US could use the military. “The ultimate intervention is our military. And if we have to use that, we will.” Everyone eventually answers to the bond market. 2010233
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 20/08/2026The US recorded its first federal budget surplus since 1969, in 1998. Bill Clinton was president. By 2000, the surplus grew to $237 billion. Today, it pays more than that in interest every few months. 1514348
Andrew Lokenauth | TheFinanceNewsletter.com @thefinancenewsletter.com · 16/08/2026JUST IN: U.S. homebuyer demand fell to its lowest level on record. There are now 500,000 more home sellers than buyers in America. 967,000 buyers were in the market in July, compared with 1.46 million sellers. Plenty of homes are for sale. Millions of Americans just can’t afford them. 1212845