Episodes
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Credit Card Rewards Points
Do airline miles, cash back, and hotel points actually keep up with inflation? Lucas and Luna dig into the purchasing power of credit card rewards in a 5 percent CPI world. With the July CPI at 332.8 and the core reading up again, they break down how devaluation, shifting award charts, and issuer cutbacks quietly erode the value of your points. They compare the real redemption math for a typical domestic flight and a $50 statement credit, and ask whether churning is still worth the annual fees.…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Streaming Subscriptions
Episode 160 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo: Lucas and Luna dig into the quiet price creep behind your streaming bundles. With the July CPI at 332.8 and core inflation still sticky at 336.8, subscription prices have been climbing faster than overall inflation. They break down how the average household now spends over $90 a month on streaming services — up 40% in three years — and why the real hit isn't the price hike itself, but the quality-adjusted inflation that goes unnoticed. From…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Wine Collection
Lucas and Luna explore how inflation quietly erodes the value of collectible wine, a favorite alternative asset. They unpack the economics of wine storage costs, insurance, and the illiquidity trap that can turn a 'liquid' investment into a costly hobby. With the CPI hovering around 332.8 and gold at record highs, they ask whether wine can ever be a real inflation hedge or if it's just a pricey bottle of uncertainty. Tune in for a sobering look at the real costs of collecting. #WineCollecting…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Bond Ladder
On this episode of Inflation and Your Money, Lucas and Luna tackle a retirement strategy that's supposed to be bulletproof: the bond ladder. While inflation cools and the ten-year breakeven rate sits at 2.27 percent, fixed-income investors are still watching their purchasing power slip away. The hosts drill into a real-world example—a retiree with a $500,000 ladder built when rates were higher—and show how reinvesting maturing bonds at today's lower yields quietly erodes real returns. They…
Inflation Eats Your HSA Triple Tax Advantage
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money, Lucas and Luna explore how inflation can quietly erode the purchasing power of your Health Savings Account, despite its triple tax advantage. They break down the mechanics: contributions reduce taxable income, growth is tax-deferred, and qualified medical withdrawals are tax-free. But with the average HSA balance sitting at around $4,000 and many accounts holding cash earning next to nothing, inflation can chip away at that real value. They discuss…
Inflation and Your Paycheck How the CPI Shift Hits Home
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money, Lucas and Luna dig into a real number that just moved: the latest CPI reading came in at 332.6 for June 2026, down from 333.98 the month before. But here's the wrinkle — core CPI, which strips out food and energy, barely budged, and core PCE actually ticked up. What does that mean for your paycheck? Lucas explains how the headline CPI drop can mask what you're actually feeling at the grocery store and the gas pump, and why the Fed's next move might…
How Inflation Eats Your Long-Term Care Insurance
Lucas and Luna kick off Episode 155 of Inflation and Your Money by unpacking a new set of inflation data from early August 2026, then dive into a topic that rarely gets airtime: how inflation silently erodes long-term care insurance policies. They walk through the sticker shock of care costs—a private nursing home room now averaging well over $120,000 a year—and explain why the 3-5% inflation riders on most policies still leave you short. They break down the math: a 55-year-old buying a policy…
Why Your Emergency Fund Is Losing to Inflation
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money, Lucas and Luna dig into a surprise: your emergency fund — the cash you set aside for a rainy day — is quietly losing purchasing power, even with interest rates still above the inflation rate. They break down the math using today's numbers: with the Fed funds rate at 3.63 percent and the ten-year breakeven inflation rate sitting at 2.25 percent, a high-yield savings account paying around 4 percent might seem like a win, but after taxes and the hidden…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Cash Value Life Insurance
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money, Lucas and Luna dig into an overlooked casualty of rising prices: cash value life insurance. With the ten-year Treasury yield at 4.3 percent and inflation running at 2.6 percent, whole life policies that promise a guaranteed return of 3 to 5 percent are quietly losing purchasing power. They walk through how inflation erodes the real return on the cash value component, why policyholders rarely notice until they borrow or surrender, and what options…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Gold Investment
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna examine how inflation is quietly eroding the real returns of gold investments. With gold prices up 6.4% in the last five days and the S&P 500 hitting new highs, they break down the hidden costs—storage, insurance, and the opportunity cost of holding a non-yielding asset. They argue that gold's role as an inflation hedge is more nuanced than the headlines suggest, offering a checklist for investors to protect purchasing…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Gym Membership
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how the cost of staying fit has quietly outpaced headline inflation. With gym memberships up sharply since 2019 and boutique fitness classes pushing prices even higher, they break down the real numbers, the psychology behind why we keep paying, and practical ways to protect your purchasing power without sacrificing your workout. They also touch on how recent market gains and a cooling CPI mask the sting of…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Tipping Budget
In the 150th episode of Inflation and Your Money, Lucas and Luna drill into a cost most budgets ignore: the tip line. With inflation cooling to 2.6 percent and the S&P 500 up 5.6 percent in five days, the hosts explore how rising menu prices have quietly pushed suggested tip percentages higher, especially at quick-service counters where the screen now defaults to 20, 25, even 30 percent. They cite a 2025 survey showing nearly one in three adults now feels obligated to tip for takeout, up from…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Car Insurance Premiums
In Episode 149 of Inflation and Your Money, Lucas and Luna unpack how inflation is quietly eating your car insurance premiums. They start with a startling stat: the average premium has jumped 19% since 2023, far outpacing the Consumer Price Index, which dipped to 332.6 in June 2026. Lucas explains that repair costs are up 12% because of higher parts and labor, and Florida's new fraud laws have pushed premiums there up 40%. Luna brings up the surprising factor of electric vehicles, which are…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Life Insurance Cash Value
Episode 148 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo digs into a corner of personal finance most of us ignore: whole life insurance cash value. Lucas and Luna unpack how a 2.28 percent ten-year breakeven inflation rate and a 3.63 percent fed funds rate shape the real return on a policy that promises a 'guaranteed' 4 percent. They walk through a concrete example: a 45-year-old with $100,000 in cash value, a 4 percent credited rate, and 3 percent inflation — and show why the real return is barely…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Emergency Fund
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how inflation is quietly eroding the purchasing power of emergency funds. With the latest CPI showing prices still elevated, they break down why a typical three-to-six-month cash buffer may not stretch as far as it used to. Using a concrete example of a $10,000 emergency fund, they calculate how much buying power it has lost over the past year. They also discuss the trade-off between keeping cash safe and liquid…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Rental Property Cash Flow
Rental real estate is often called a perfect inflation hedge—but rising costs can quietly destroy cash flow. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine a typical Midwest single-family rental where operating expenses grew 8% last year while rent rose only 4%. They explore how property taxes, insurance, and maintenance are squeezing net operating income, and why even with the 10-year breakeven inflation rate climbing to 2.26%, landlords may be losing purchasing power. If you're investing for…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Retirement Withdrawal Rate
In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine how persistent inflation—even at moderate levels—is quietly eroding the purchasing power of the classic 4 percent retirement withdrawal rate. With the 10-year breakeven inflation rate at 2.26 percent as of late July 2026, and core CPI still elevated, many retirees following the old 'safe' rule may be withdrawing more than they think in real terms. They trace the origin of the 4 percent rule from William Bengen's 1994 study, crunch the numbers on how a 2.3…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Fixed Annuity Income
Retirees with fixed annuities are losing purchasing power even as headline inflation cools. In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down how a seemingly safe income stream can erode over time, citing the latest CPI data (332.6) and breakeven inflation rates (2.20%). They explore practical options: inflation riders, variable annuities, partial annuitization, and pairing with I Bonds. A must-listen for anyone relying on guaranteed income in retirement. #FixedAnnuities #Inflation #RetirementIncome…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your 2026 Raise
Lucas and Luna examine why the average 2026 salary raise may not be enough to keep up with inflation, even as CPI cools to 332.6. They break down the real purchasing power of a typical 3% raise when core inflation is still elevated, and offer strategies to negotiate or supplement your income. Plus, a look at how the current Fed funds rate of 3.63% affects your savings and why expecting a 2.2% cost-of-living adjustment next year might still leave you behind. A practical conversation for anyone…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Dividend Stock Returns
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how even as headline inflation cools, dividend stock investors may still see their purchasing power erode. With the S&P 500 dividend yield at 1.4% and the 10-year breakeven inflation rate at 2.21%, real returns from dividends often fall short. They discuss the importance of focusing on dividend growth rates, comparing real yields to Treasury bonds, and why sectors like utilities may not keep pace. Using current data from July 2026, they offer actionable…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Money Market Fund Returns
In Episode 141 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dig into the quiet erosion of money market fund returns. With the Fed holding rates at 3.63 percent and breakeven inflation at 2.21 percent, the real yield on cash is barely positive. They walk through how the average money market fund yields around 3.6 percent, why inflation expectations matter more than nominal rates, and the $12 billion that flowed into these funds last month—much of it from investors chasing safety.…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Brokerage Cash Sweep
If you've got cash sitting idle in a brokerage account, you could be losing hundreds of dollars a year in purchasing power. Most brokerages pay near-zero interest on uninvested cash sweeps, while money market funds yield over 3.6%. With inflation still running above the Fed's 2% target — the breakeven rate sits at 2.21% — that gap is quietly eroding your savings. In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down exactly how the cash sweep mechanism works, why brokerages get away with such low rates…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Credit Card Rewards
Episode 139 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo examines how inflation erodes the value of credit card reward points, miles, and cashback. Lucas and Luna discuss the latest CPI data (332.6 for June 2026, core CPI at 336.1) and the 10-year breakeven inflation rate of 2.26%, showing that while headline inflation is cooling, reward devaluations are accelerating. They explain why hoarding points costs you real purchasing power, offer strategies to protect rewards (like spending points sooner…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Digital Wallet Balance
If you've got money sitting in Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App, it's likely earning zero percent—meaning inflation is quietly eroding its purchasing power. In this episode, Lucas and Luna break down exactly how much you lose with current CPI at 332.6 and a 10-year breakeven inflation rate of 2.26 percent. They discuss why digital wallets haven't kept up with the Fed funds rate of 3.63 percent, and what you can do—like moving idle balances to high-yield savings or money market funds—to stop the leak.…
Inflation Quietly Eating Your 529 College Savings Plan
Episode 137 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna reveal how moderate inflation is silently eroding the real purchasing power of 529 college savings plans. With the latest CPI reading at 332.6 (down from 333.98) and college costs rising 3–5% annually, they walk through a concrete example: a $10,000 contribution that loses a third of its value in college-cost terms over 18 years due to conservative default allocations. They discuss strategies like adjusting equity glide paths…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Municipal Bond Returns
Municipal bonds are supposed to be safe havens for tax-sensitive investors, but inflation is quietly eroding their real returns. In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna break down how the current 2.26% breakeven inflation rate and rising Fed rate expectations are squeezing muni bond investors. They explain why after-tax yields may look attractive but after-inflation returns can be negative, and offer practical strategies like floating-rate munis, bond ladders…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Health Savings Account
Inflation is easing but still positive, and your health savings account could be a hidden victim. Lucas and Luna dive into the data: nearly 40% of HSA assets sit in cash, losing purchasing power year after year. Using the latest CPI numbers and Fed rate context, they explain why investing HSA funds is crucial, show the math behind a $3,000 annual contribution over 30 years, and offer practical tips to turn your HSA into a powerful retirement tool. This episode is packed with specific numbers…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Social Security COLA
Episode 134 examines the growing gap between Social Security cost-of-living adjustments and actual retiree inflation. Using recent CPI data showing a slight dip in overall prices but persistent healthcare cost increases, Lucas and Luna explore why the COLA formula understates seniors' real expenses and share three actionable strategies to protect your benefits: delaying claiming, using I Bonds, and shifting to a healthcare-focused portfolio. Includes data from the Senior Citizens League showing…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Home Equity Line of Credit
Episode 133 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo: Lucas and Luna drill into a hidden inflation cost that's quietly squeezing millions of homeowners — the Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC). With the Fed funds rate at 3.63% and inflation still sticky despite CPI cooling to 332.6, variable-rate HELOCs have repriced dramatically. Lucas walks through how a borrower who opened a $50,000 HELOC in early 2022 likely saw their rate jump from around 4% to nearly 10%, adding hundreds a month in…
Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Charity Mileage Deduction
Episode 132: Lucas and Luna look at a tax break millions of volunteers rely on—the charitable mileage deduction—and how inflation has quietly eroded its real value. The standard rate for driving your own car for charity hasn't budged from 14 cents per mile since 1997, while the IRS business mileage rate has been adjusted upward multiple times. Using the latest CPI data (332.6 as of June 2026), we calculate that the charity deduction has lost roughly 40% of its purchasing power. Lucas explains…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Gig Economy Earnings
Episode 131 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore how inflation silently erodes the real income of gig workers. Using recent data showing CPI at 332.6 (down slightly) but core PCE still rising, they break down how rising costs for vehicle maintenance, self-employment taxes, and health insurance are outpacing take-home pay. They contrast the 2.8% gold rally this week with the flat hourly earnings growth in app-based work. Specific strategies for gig workers to adjust…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Gold ETF Returns
Gold is up 3% in the last five days and nearly 25% year-to-date in mid-2026. But investors piling into popular gold ETFs like GLD may not realize how management fees, tracking error, and capital-gains distributions quietly erode their real return. Lucas and Luna break down the hidden costs of owning gold through an ETF versus physical bullion or a gold IRA, citing the 0.40% expense ratio on GLD and the recent surge in gold mining stocks (GDX up 7.4% in five days). They also discuss the…
Gold In Your Portfolio During Falling Inflation 2026
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money, Lucas and Luna examine the role of gold in a portfolio when headline inflation is cooling but core prices remain sticky. With the CPI down to 332.6 from 333.98 and gold surging to $4,156 per ounce—up 3.6% in five days—they ask the uncomfortable question: does gold still protect purchasing power when inflation is falling? They dig into the mechanics of the gold-inflation correlation, why the 10-year breakeven rate at 2.26% signals lingering pricing…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your TIPS Bond Returns
Episode 128 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo examines an overlooked inflation blind spot: Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. Lucas and Luna use today's data—CPI at 332.6, the 10-year breakeven at 2.26%, and gold at $4,133—to show how taxes on phantom income, low real yields after fees, and the steep opportunity cost versus equities make TIPS a far weaker inflation hedge than most investors assume. They walk through a concrete example: a $10,000 TIPS ladder bought five years ago…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Homeowners Insurance Deductible
In Episode 127 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dig into an overlooked inflation casualty: the homeowners insurance deductible. As construction costs have soared over the past five years, the fixed-dollar deductible on a typical policy has shrunk in real terms, leaving policyholders with a much larger out-of-pocket burden when they file a claim. Lucas explains how a $1,000 deductible in 2021 is now effectively worth around $850 in 2021 dollars, and why most homeowners…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Roth IRA Growth
Episode 126 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo explores an overlooked threat: inflation's effect on Roth IRA accounts. Hosts Lucas and Luna break down why a 3% annual inflation rate can slash the future purchasing power of your tax-free withdrawals by nearly half over 30 years. Using real data—including the latest CPI reading of 332.6 and core PCE at 130.1—they explain how inflation erodes the real return of your contributions even when the account grows nominally. Lucas shares a concrete…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Streaming Service Value
In this episode of 'Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo', Lucas and Luna break down the latest CPI data showing headline inflation easing to a 332.6 index reading in June 2026, but they dive into a surprising cost that's climbing faster than the official numbers: streaming service subscriptions. With core services inflation running hot—especially in categories like media subscriptions—they examine the typical household's streaming bill, which now averages $65 per month across four services…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Prediction Market Winnings – Episode 124
In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine how inflation quietly erodes the real value of prediction market winnings, even as platforms like Kalshi boom. With the CPI still elevated and breakeven inflation rising, they calculate the hidden tax on your betting profits using real data from July 2026. Lucas explains why a 3.5% nominal gain might be a 1% real loss, and Luna asks whether the inflation-adjusted payout is worth the risk. A sharp, practical look at the silent cost of playing the…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Car Insurance Premium
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna examine how inflation is quietly eating your car insurance premium. They break down the specific drivers behind rising rates, from double-digit increases in auto repair costs to higher medical bills for accident claims, and explain why the official CPI for motor vehicle insurance — up 18.5% year-over-year as of June 2026 — actually understates the pain most drivers feel. Lucas cites data showing average premiums have…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Fixed Annuity Income
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how even 'safe' fixed annuity payouts are losing ground to inflation in mid-2026. With the CPI at 332.6 and the 10-year breakeven inflation rate rising to 2.24%, a fixed annuity yielding 3.5% is barely providing any real return after inflation. The hosts walk through a concrete example: a $200,000 annuity purchased five years ago now has the purchasing power of roughly $176,000. They discuss whether…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Home Warranty
Home warranties promise peace of mind, but inflation is quietly shrinking the real value of those service contracts. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine how a typical $500–$600 annual home warranty premium buys less coverage than it did just a few years ago, thanks to rising labor costs and parts prices. They break down the numbers: with service fees climbing 15–20% since 2022 and claim payout caps failing to keep pace, homeowners are increasingly on the hook for repairs they thought were…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Renters Insurance
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the often-overlooked world of renters insurance and how inflation is slowly eroding its value. With CPI data showing a slight dip to 332.6 in June 2026, but rent costs continuing to climb, they explore why your policy's replacement cost coverage might not be keeping pace. Lucas breaks down how the typical $30,000 personal property coverage from 2020 now buys about $24,700 in real goods, using an example of a stolen laptop. Luna questions whether the low…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your High-Yield Savings Account
Episode 119 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna examine why a 4.2% high-yield savings account may be quietly losing you money after inflation and taxes. With the latest CPI data at 332.6 (down slightly from June) and the Fed funds rate holding at 3.63%, they break down the real after-tax, after-inflation return on cash. They explain the concept of 'negative real yield' for savers, discuss why banks have already started trimming rates ahead of potential Fed cuts, and offer a…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your 401k Match
Episode 118 of Inflation and Your Money examines a stealth erosion point many workers overlook: the company 401(k) match. While inflation cools slightly with CPI at 332.6 and core PCE still ticking up, the real value of a 5% employer match is shrinking year after year. Lucas and Luna break down the math: if your salary stays flat or grows below inflation, that match buys fewer shares each quarter. They discuss the impact of the current 3.63% Fed funds rate on bond allocations and why automatic…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Cash Value Life Insurance
Episode 117 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore how whole life insurance policies are losing purchasing power in a world where the Fed funds rate sits at 3.63% but the average policy dividend yield hasn't budged from 5-6%. They break down the math: if you have $100,000 in cash value earning 5.5%, but inflation runs at 3% and taxes take another slice, your real return is near zero. Worse, policy loans at 6-8% can turn inflation into a trap. The hosts use the current…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your College Savings Plan
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dig into how inflation is quietly eroding the purchasing power of 529 college savings plans. Using real data from June 2026, they break down how even a modest 3% annual inflation in tuition costs can cut a plan's real value by over 20% by the time a child reaches college. They discuss the shift toward age-based glide paths that incorporate TIPS and I-bonds, and why the traditional 'growth at all costs' approach may leave…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Charitable Donations
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how inflation is silently eroding the purchasing power of charitable donations—both for donors and the nonprofits that receive them. They anchor the discussion with specific data: the June 2026 CPI reading of 332.6 and the ten-year breakeven inflation rate at 2.25 percent. Drawing on a real example of a $100 donation made to a food bank in 2021 now being worth just $88 in today's dollars, they explain why even…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Homeowners Insurance Payout
Episode 114 of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna examine how inflation erodes homeowners insurance coverage. With CPI at 332.6 and core PCE rising, replacement costs for labor and materials have outpaced standard policy limits. The hosts discuss why actual cash value policies pay less than expected, the gap between market value and rebuild cost, and what listeners can do — like requesting extended replacement cost endorsements. They also touch on recent Fed testimony and…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Social Security COLA
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how inflation is quietly eroding the purchasing power of Social Security benefits. They break down the way the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) is calculated using CPI-W, a subset of the consumer price index that may not reflect retirees' actual spending patterns. With CPI-W rising slower than the broader CPI in recent years, many seniors are seeing a gap between their COLA increase and real-world cost…
How Inflation Is Quietly Eating Your Streaming Service Value
In this episode of Inflation and Your Money with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna unpack how inflation is quietly eating your streaming service value. With the latest CPI data showing persistent core inflation at 336.1, and the ten-year breakeven inflation rate sitting at 2.24 percent, they drill into the specific numbers behind streaming price hikes. Lucas explains how Netflix, Disney+, and other streamers have raised prices by 15-25 percent over the past two years, while ad-supported tiers and…
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