Dinner Table Discussions

Hey Future Funder,

This week we just want to say thank you! With your help we have surpassed 2,000 subscribers in less than two months.

Due to this tremendous amount of growth, you'll notice we have switched to a more user friendly platform that will help support our mission to help all families make confident financial decisions... so thank you for being one of the readers that has gotten us to this point!

Ok, let's get to it!

💬 Quote Of The Week

📰 Headlines That Matter

Economy

Interest Rates May Be Coming Down Sooner Than You Think

🚀 The quick version: This week, Congress held committee hearings on the recent bank failures in the US. We likely are not going to get any new regulation out of this for a few months at the earliest, but one possible outcome may be an increase of deposit insurance limits here in the US (they are currently $250,000) and likely tighter lending standards.

Most people (even the Fed Chairman) seem to think this problem has now been contained and that interest rates can still move a little higher as the economy can handle it and we have yet to see big signs that inflation is getting better.

This thinking may be right, but it's worth pointing out that going back to 1980, every financial sector issue has lead to the Federal Reserve changing course and lowering interest rates just a few months later in a effort to prevent a recession from happening.

As the famous saying goes with the current bank failures, "this time is different," and maybe it is, but history would strongly disagree.

👪 How it affects you: If "the experts" are wrong this time and history repeats itself, then we are going to see interest rates come down likely at some point this year (due a weaker economy).

On the positive side, the ability to lower rates will likely mean we are also seeing lower levels of inflation and it will also be great to finally see things like mortgage rates moving lower (we would wait on that big house purchase if you can).

But on the negative side, the Fed lowering rates would also likely signal a weaker economy; every family should be prepared.

As a recession rule of thumb, step one should be making and stress testing your budget today (you can use our free template if you need one). Step two should be looking for areas to save some money (some tips for including the kids) or potentially looking for ways to earn more if needed (some more ideas for both are below).

Social Media

Advertisers Targeting Our Kids

The CEO of TikTok (who ironically does not let his own kids use the app) recently testified in front of the U.S. Congress trying to assuage fears that the company is collecting information on millions of Americans for nefarious purposes.

This growth in revenue is largely due to the app's increased popularity and its ability to attract advertisers who want to reach its young user base.

That's why it's important to have this advertising discussion with our kids (the earlier the better!) in a way to help them understand how to better use money as a tool to live the life they want to live.

💡 Few People Know...

💸 Make money today. Want to make some extra cash and never leave the house? Here are five ways to do it today.

✉️ Creative way to save money. This woman has gone viral for her methods around saving money. Or what she calls 'cash stuffing'.

🧾 Don't call it a comeback. Think coupons are dead? You would be wrong. Sites like Dosh and Ibotta offer cash back for grocery purchases made online or in-store. For other online shopping needs, internet-wide coupon sites like Honey are also a solid bet (we have no affiliation, but my wife did save an additional 20% on our girls Easter outfits this week when she used Honey to scan for promo codes).

🚸 What are the 5 signs your kid will be successful in life? Check out the five key traits you should be looking for and cultivating now.

🏫 Ivy League College costs keep rising. Geez, the latest data now puts the cost at $90,000 per year. Makes us wonder if an Ivy League education is worth the cost? Get our take.

👩 Mom's Rule! Don't believe us? Turns out that according to research they have more buying power than anyone else in the household.

🍪 Curious on the best way to twist an Oreo? A group of MIT researches had some time on their hands so they decided to test over 1,000 Oreos in order to figure out the best way to separate the cookies.

🗓️ The Week Ahead

April 6th

It's National Burrito Day! If you want to plan a night out with the kids there are lots of brands offering free stuff on this day. You teach them about how to save money while also downing a giant one (and don't forget to restock on the Pepcid).

April 7th

Today we will get the US Jobs number for March. For people hoping inflation will get better, just know a bad (i.e. a lower number) = good. A higher number means the economy is still steady and likely taking inflation along with it.

🔍 Topic of Focus

Earn more with your cash (safely)

Are you tired of your family's money just sitting in a bank account earning nothing, but not sure what to do with it? Things are uncertain so you don't really want to take risk by putting it in the stock market, but you would still like to earn a little return on it. Let's talk about one option.

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