Insights

November 9, 2025 SHUTDOWN DRAMA CONTINUES: Some government benefit programs and airline travel are being affected by the U.S. government shutdown, which will make the noise and anger intensify. Again, market impact has been muted but it is no longer negligible, as it may have been one of the factors leading to this week's pullback (see below). Other effects are beginning to get substantial, and sour citizens often turn into sour investors. 1.4 million federal employees are

November 2, 2025 SHUTDOWN DRAMA GETTING MORE INTENSE: The U.S. government shutdown news is getting a bit louder as the effects manifest. I traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, last week for some meetings, and I was concerned about delays and air traffic controllers working two jobs. We had some minor delays, but nothing serious. But air travel will get worse if the shutdown continues. The food stamp issue is rising to the forefront of the news. None of these issues has been

Most financial advice focuses on what to do after the money arrives. But for Christians preparing to receive a significant sum, whether through an inheritance, the sale of a business, a large bonus, or a concentrated stock payout, the most important work may begin before the deposit ever hits your account.

Over the past two decades, passive investing has gone from a niche strategy to the dominant force in U.S. markets. Today, more than half of all equity assets are in index funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track major benchmarks like the S&P 500. For Christian investors, this trend raises important questions. What are the advantages of passive investing? What are the limitations? And how should faith influence the way we engage with market trends?

Many investment portfolios are built for growth. But are they built for uncertainty? For Christian investors, a well-designed financial strategy is not just about maximizing returns. It is about staying faithful and confident even when the world feels unpredictable.

The financial world often defines security by a number. A savings goal. A net worth milestone. A retirement target. While numbers matter, they don’t tell the full story. True peace, the kind that allows you to sleep at night and walk with confidence, does not come from a calculator.

For many Christian investors, real estate feels familiar. Buying a home is often the largest purchase a family makes, and managing rental properties may seem more tangible than stocks or mutual funds. But as property values rise, interest rates fluctuate, and new forms of real estate investing become available, the question becomes: how does real estate fit into a faithful, long-term financial plan?

For many high-capacity Christian stewards, financial success arrives quietly. A business sale, an inheritance, or a concentrated stock position that rises sharply might not feel like a “windfall,” but the financial consequences are significant. With more to manage, more to account for, and more potential tax exposure, these transitions often bring a sobering responsibility: how will you handle increased capacity to give?

October 26, 2025 THE SHUTDOWN WEEK FOUR: It is week four, and little sign of a deal. Both sides are blaming the other, trying to score political points, but markets do not seem to be affected so far. (Wait, that's exactly what I said last week.) SEPTEMBER INFLATION REPORT: Despite the shutdown, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released September's Consumer Price Index. It was delayed by a bit over a week. The data had already been collected, and some BLS staff member