Tuesday thoughts: As we tend to discuss a lot on here, there are currently three types of financial lives right now -- Greatly affected, on the cusp of being affected, and quite stable. Today I want to explore what happens when boredom sets-in, and who's the most affected. 1/ Financial boredom is a really strange concept, one most people don't ever really think about, but often experience. I think it's best explained by understanding the phenomenon which is youth church camp. 2/

Thursday Morning Update: Today I want to focus on how each & every one of us can play a crucial role in rebuilding our communities, once the abject horror of our currently reality subsides. We need to understand the importance of buying local & the trap of convenience. 1/ I don't know exactly when we'll be able to rebuild, but I'm starting to get a clearer picture on how each of us can play our part in the rebuild. And the answer I keep coming back to is -- From the inside out. We need to trap money in our local economies. 2/

Thursday Morning Update: Last night the Senate passed the stimulus bill, and the House is likely to vote on the bill Friday. We finally got a full look at the bill, and needless to say it's not perfect. But honestly, no bill is perfect. 1/ If you're looking to be frustrated, no matter who you are, you'll find frustration in the bill. One of the more controversial points in the bill, one that nearly held it up, is the enhanced unemployment provision which adds $600/wk on top of regular unemployment for 4 months. 2/

Wednesday Morning Update: It appears congress has reached an agreement in principle on the stimulus package. Before we get too deep into this, it's important you understand this won't exactly stimulate the economy, it will attempt to rescue it. There's a BIG difference. 1/ The package is certainly a mixed bag of decent news and missed marks, but being cynical right now, while cathartic, doesn't help us understand what's coming. The best news, IMO, is the unemployment benefits for self-employed people. 2/

Thursday night update: Welp, I'm frustrated. The stock market felt pretty decent today about progress we're making toward rebuilding the economy. As you might know, the market will settle down when it feels confident we have a reasonable path forward. 1/ I've been hanging my hat on that all week. Oil prices increased today, which is also good, and that resulted in a net positive day for our long-term investments. But then, just after midwest dinner time, the GOP's proposal for the "checks to Americans" stimulus plan came out. 2/

Tuesday Night Update: Some relatively good things happened today, and one rather disturbing thing happened today, from a financial perspective. Let's start with the bad news. Why? Why not? The US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin reportedly dropped a bomb.... 1/ As the report goes, he told Republican senators unemployment could reach 20% and the crisis could be worse than the 2008 crisis if they didn't take swift, bold action. As a comparison, unemployment was at roughly 25% right before FDR's New Deal in 1933. 2/

1) Monday Morning Financial Update: To say there's a lot going on might be the biggest understatement of all time. You need to be sure to separate the problems in your mind, so they don't cluster into an unsolvable mess. There are currently three major problems. 2) The three problems are the virus, the stock market, & the economy. I won't spend any time today on the virus, although I urge you to do whatever Dr. Anthony Fauci says. I'm doing my part by requiring my staff work from home, & working from home myself. Listen to scientists.

1) I hate to do this on a Saturday, but I'm not quite sure people understand how much trouble the economy is in. To begin, all these cancelled events lead to cancelled hotels, flights, meals, etc. You know this, but you may not realize the tax revenue generated from these things. 2) So not only are workers in the hospitality and travel industries struggling, but so will the municipalities which depend on the tax revenue those industries generate. This means either local governments will either make giant cuts, or go deep(er) into debt.

I learned yesterday @indystar will no longer carry my columns. Budget cuts and whatnot. Six years, 315 columns, and lots of reader emails. Thanks for reading. BTW, I'm not looking for sympathy. Reserve that for those people who lost their full-time jobs. I'm fine. Financial fragility is real. And for those former @indystar journalists who've recently had their jobs eliminated, I'll gladly help you through this for free. Hit me up.