Grow Money Business with Grant Bledsoe

Ep #260 - Everything You Need to Know About the Big Beautiful Bill

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has been passed into law, and we dive into it’s details in this episode of Grow Money Business.  We cover the changes to tax laws that you should know about, including planning opportunities around charitable giving, solar panels & EVs, Social Security, and the child tax credit.  We also cover an article about the most important financial metric that even millionaires get wrong, the recent fed decision on interest rates, and the jobs report.   RESOURCES: Even Multi-Millionaires Can’t Get This Basic Idea Right bestinterest.blog/even-multi-millionaires-cant-get-this-basic-idea-right/   FAQ: The One Big Beautiful Bill Act Tax Changes taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-tax-changes/   Tax Provisions in H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: House-Passed Version congress.gov/crs-product/R48550  

Ep #259 - The Report is In: Here’s When Social Security Will Be Insolvent

This episode of Grow Money Business covers everything you need to know about Social Security: from how to get through to your local office & the expected wait times for their 1-800 number to how long we’ll be able to pay retiree benefits.  The background here is that the trustees of Social Security are required to publish a report on the funding of the program annually.  The 2025 report was published just a few weeks ago, and this episode covers what you need to know about it. Resources: What the Heck Is Happening at Social Security?: https://www.nextavenue.org/what-the-heck-is-happening-at-social-security/ THE 2025 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE FEDERAL OLD-AGE AND SURVIVORS INSURANCE AND FEDERAL DISABILITY INSURANCE TRUST FUNDS: https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TR/2025/tr2025.pdf

Ep #258 - How Markets Are Reacting to Tariff Negotiations and the US Debt Downgrade

In this episode of Grow Money Business we review what the markets have done as news of trade negotiations has trickled out over the last few weeks.  We review whether tariff policy leads to inflation to consumers, Moody’s recent downgrade of US debt, and what to look for in the coming weeks as we approach the 90-day tariff pause deadline. RESOURCES: Moody's Ratings downgrades United States ratings to Aa1 from Aaa; changes outlook to stable moodys.com/web/en/us/about-us/usrating.html   The Effects of Tariffs on Inflation and Production Costs frbsf.org/research-and-insights/publications/economic-letter/2025/05/effects-of-tariffs-on-inflation-and-production-costs/   Detecting Tariff Effects on Consumer Prices in Real Time federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/detecting-tariff-effects-on-consumer-prices-in-real-time-20250509.html  

Ep #257 - Tariffs, Policy, Politics and Your Portfolio

This episode of Grow Money Business covers tariffs, Trump’s recent economic policy, the market’s reaction, and how we should interpret all this as investors.  We cover an article commenting on a recent wonky U.S. government bond auction and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s comments, and put the rapid pace of the news cycle in perspective. RESOURCES: US Treasury secretary: no risk of China weaponizing Treasuries despite bond market volatility reuters.com/markets/rates-bonds/us-treasury-secretary-no-risk-china-weaponizing-treasuries-despite-bond-market-2025-04-15/

Ep #256 - How Much Should We Really Be Saving for Our Kids’ College?

While college savings accounts like 529s provide some nice tax benefits, there are strings attached (including the dreaded 10% penalty for non-education related withdrawals).  In this episode of Grow Money Business we dive into how much parents should really be saving for their kids’ college education amid a changing landscape for education and student loans.  We also cover an interesting month in the markets and an article reviewing recent performance of single stock ETFs. RESOURCES: Billions Flowed Into New Leveraged ETFs Last Year. Now They’re in Free Fall. wsj.com/finance/investing/billions-flowed-into-new-leveraged-etfs-last-year-now-theyre-in-free-fall-0c413245