Participants want caregiver planning support, but many lack confidence in key financial decisions. Advisors can help fill the gap.

Last week, America’s collective attention was divided between two major events: the country’s 250th birthday and the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Both got wall-to-wall media coverage, while the June jobs report—which actually moved markets—settled for a press release and a shrug.

Jim Lydotes flips the timer on a retail energy deal, thinner consumer cushions, and how index rebalancing shows why investors should look beneath the market surface.

Last week, America's pre-birthday physical came back mixed. The labor market remains robust and spending is up. The number nobody wants elevated is inflation, which reached a three-year high. Factory orders are the bruise that looks worse than it is; blame aircraft.

The back half of 2026 may hinge on six themes: AI spending, uneven growth, labor supply, sticky inflation, uneasy central banks, and volatile bond markets.

Jim Lydotes flips the timer on our Grassroots Research on data centers, healthcare companies reinvesting AI dividends, and the breakdown in common value metrics.

Dividend yield reflects what a company paid; price-to-book what it owns. Neither captures what it can do next.

Government-backed mortgage bonds have outperformed during some of the market’s worst quarters. Here’s how they work and what their track record has historically meant for investors seeking diversification.

Jim Lydotes breaks down three market signals: a shift in enterprise AI spending, energy reshoring after Iran tensions, and a potential catalyst for housing.

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