Wealth and Wisdom: Week of April 6, 2026
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
I’ll be away this week attending to some family business, so Wealth and Wisdom will resume on Monday, April 20. I’m including some beefier topics this week to help you bide the time.
It’s even harder than usual to make sense of the financial markets these days. It’s hard to tell whether we’re on the precipice of a financial cliff or the cusp of a new era of innovation and economic growth. That growing uncertainty – and the volatility it’s creating in the financial markets – might be tempting you to make some big decisions based on what you read and hear.
It’s important to realize that most of what you’re hearing right now is opinion, nothing more than what one person thinks will happen, as opposed to fact or even useful information. Whether those opinions turn out to be right or wrong will be forgotten in a few days or weeks, and the author will never be held to account for his guidance.
As investors, we have no control over day-to-day market movements. What we can control is the level of attention we choose to pay to people who have no more idea of what the near future holds than we do. We can decide not to act on our concerns and fears, despite how they make us feel. We can resolve simply to sit back and watch compounding continue to work. We can employ our rising dividends to buy more and more shares of the quality businesses we own, at lower prices.
As market pullbacks go, this one is fairly minor – at least at this point. Please don’t allow it – or politics, or scary headlines, or market forecasts that change like spring weather in St. Louis – to steer you off the road to long-term investment success.
Online gambling is sucking billions of dollars out of consumer budgets – and it’s already showing up in their credit reports. (Reading time: 7 minutes)
The federal government now pays more than $1 trillion per year in interest alone – leading some to fear we’re writing checks we soon won’t be able to cover. (Reading time: 4 minutes)
There are serious ideas on the table – and Congress is now at least talking about them. (Reading time: 8 minutes)
The market volatility we’re seeing now is nothing unusual. Declines are more frequent than you might think. (Reading time: 3 minutes)
Don’t think of fixed-income investments as simply an alternative to stocks. Instead, match them to your future spending goals. (Reading time: 6 minutes)
Obsessively rearranging your life to save on everyday expenses can wind up costing you time – and money. (Reading time: 8 minutes)
The more they learn from you today, the less they’ll be financially dependent on you tomorrow. (Reading time: 3 minutes)
Both spouses can contribute – up to the same limits each year – even if only one is working. Take advantage of this opportunity if you can. (Reading time: 3 minutes)
You may not be able to avoid required minimum distributions altogether – but there are several ways to manage their impact on your finances. (Reading time: 6 minutes)
Even if you’re too young to have a high income and a large estate – there are some things you want to have in place as early as age 18. (Reading time: 8 minutes)
Words to the Wise
“Investors make more money with the seats of their pants than the soles of their feet.”
– Lucien O. Hooper
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