Reflecting Ahead

Forget SpaceX, Does Index Investing Still Make Sense for a 401k?

You'd have to be living on Mars not to hear that your 401k index fund will be investing in SpaceX. But the more important question is whether index…

Jun 12 • Karen Stevenson

May 2026

Will the SpaceX IPO Blow Up Your 401k?

If you have an index fund in your 401k, you may end up owing SpaceX. So what does that mean. Does index investing make sense, or will it produce some…

May 29 • Karen Stevenson

Up, Up in the Air: Helium

Helium is critical, but we just sold the National Helium Reserve to a foreign company, and now 33% of the world's helium is trapped in Hormuz. The…

May 25 • Karen Stevenson

April 2026

It’s a Crisis Now, But The Long View is What Matters

The die is cast. The Iran War will change everything. When the near term is hard to know, it’s useful to focus on the long term. Because in times like…

Apr 8 • Karen Stevenson

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February 2026

Where Does Electric Power Get Its Power?

The electric grid is not something to take for granted. But where does our electricity come from?

Feb 26 • Karen Stevenson

August 2025

Tariffs Will or Will Not Cause Inflation

Tariffs make prices go up. Tariffs may not cause inflation. Can both both those statements be true? What the heck will tariffs do to the economy?

Aug 30, 2025 • Karen Stevenson

Triple Care Crisis: Child Care, Elder Care, and Health Care

We don't just have a care crisis, we have a triple care crisis. Child Care, Elder Care, and Health Care are expensive, often unaffordable, and many…

Aug 21, 2025 • Karen Stevenson

Health Insurance Is Broken, And I Don't Know If It Can Be Fixed

Health insurance used to be a relatively inexpensive way to protect yourself against big medical bills. But it's not really working any more. What…

Aug 14, 2025 • Karen Stevenson

July 2025

Giving Well, Better Ways to Get Rid of Stuff

It's great to give away stuff you no longer use, But there are ways to do it better.

Jul 24, 2025 • Karen Stevenson

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June 2025

Medicaid Provider Taxes, We Can’t Fix Them This Way

Congress wants to close a loophole that props up Medicaid payments to hospitals and nursing homes using “Provider Taxes”. Who would care about this? But…

Jun 30, 2025 • Karen Stevenson

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May 2025

Buying and Holding and the Dow Jones Companies of 1929

How many companies in the 1929 Dow Jones Industrial Average went bankrupt in the Great Depression? You'll be surprised!

May 25, 2025 • Karen Stevenson

April 2025

Wall Street Cares About Inflation; Main Street Cares About Prices

Tariffs may be a one-time price shock, but that still means prices go up.

Apr 17, 2025 • Karen Stevenson