Insights

Tax tips, options trading ideas, and market takes — updated regularly.

Market Commentary Investing Basics
29,000 Jobs, $100 Oil, and a Fed That Just Hiked: Inside the "Stagflation-Lite" Dilemma

The Fed raised rates in September to fight energy-driven inflation. Two weeks later, data showed just 29,000 jobs added. Here's why those facts pull the Fed in opposite directions, and what the Oct. 7 minutes, Oct. 14 CPI, and Oct. 28 decision could reveal.

October 4, 2026 ET

Market Commentary Investing Basics
Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile Fell 60% From Their Highs. The Real Lesson Isn't Which Stock to Pick.

Rocket Lab and AST SpaceMobile were retail favorites heading into 2026, then fell more than 60% from their May highs. The real lesson isn't which stocks to pick — it's how much of a portfolio a pick like that should ever be.

October 4, 2026 ET

Market Commentary Investing Basics
Why Maersk Raised Guidance Twice This Year: A Strait of Hormuz Case Study in Volatility

A single shipping chokepoint is raising costs and revenue for the same companies at the same time. Maersk's back-to-back guidance hikes are a real-world lesson in how geopolitical risk shows up in earnings — and in options pricing.

August 16, 2026 ET

Retirement & Income Investing Basics
A Weak Jobs Report Has Markets Rethinking the Fed — Here's What a Rate Cut Would Mean for Your Cash and Bonds

A surprisingly weak jobs report has reopened the debate over the Fed's next move. If a cut does come, it would affect your cash and your bonds in opposite ways — here's the mechanic worth understanding either way.

August 9, 2026 ET

Market Commentary Investing Basics
Amazon Just Joined the $3 Trillion Club. Your "Diversified" Index Fund Should Take Note

Amazon crossed a $3 trillion market cap this week, becoming the fifth company ever to do it. The bigger story for everyday investors: how much of a supposedly diversified index fund now rides on a handful of names.

August 6, 2026 ET

Options Strategies Investing Basics
August OpEx Lands After a Fed Decision and Four Mega-Cap Earnings — Here's Why That Matters

The next monthly options expiration falls on August 21, just weeks after the Fed's July rate decision and four Big Tech earnings reports. Here's what that expiration actually is, and why thinner summer liquidity can make it feel different.

July 28, 2026 ET

Tax Planning Investing Basics
Back-to-School Tax-Free Weekends Peak Aug. 7-9 — Here's What's Actually Exempt, State by State

Twenty states are running sales tax holidays in 2026, with the biggest wave landing August 7-9. The exemptions, price caps, and per-item cliffs vary sharply by state — here's how to read the fine print (general education, not advice; confirm current rules with your state).

July 27, 2026 ET

Market Commentary Investing Basics
BlackRock Just Crossed $15 Trillion in Assets. Here's What the Number Actually Measures

BlackRock became the first asset manager to cross $15 trillion in assets, fueled by record ETF inflows. It's a good excuse to learn how to read AUM and fund-flow data, and why money moving into ETFs isn't the same as the market going up.

July 20, 2026 ET