Personal Finance
Saving, budgeting, debt, mortgages, pensions, taxes, financial independence and consumer rights across US, European and Dutch sources.
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“America’s Debt Spiral Is Going To Implode Within 3 Years” - Ray Dalio’s Final Warning
Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code GRAHAM at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/graham | Add me on Instagram: GPStephan FOLLOW MY INVESTMENTS / STOCKS HERE: https://getblossom.onelink.me/SOfu/grahamstephan START BUILDING WEALTH WITH MY FREE NEWSLETTER: https://grahamstephan.substack.com THE U.S. DEBT SPIRAL The United States now owes more than $40 trillion, and the total is still rising by billions of dollars every day. The bigger problem is not just the debt itself, but the growing amount of interest the government has to pay as older, cheaper debt gets refinanced at much higher rates. WHY INTEREST COSTS MATTER For years, the government was able to borrow enormous amounts of money at extremely low rates. Now, with borrowing costs at their highest levels in decades, that strategy is becoming much more expensive. The CBO projects federal interest costs could reach roughly $2.1 trillion per year by 2036. WHO KEEPS BUYING U.S. DEBT? The government funds its deficits by issuing Treasury bonds. That system works as long as investors are willing to keep buying them at reasonable rates. If buyers begin demanding 5%, 6%, or more to lend the government money, interest expenses increase even faster. FOREIGN BUYERS ARE PULLING BACK Countries such as China and Japan have historically been major holders of U.S. Treasuries. Some foreign holdings have recently declined, raising concerns about who will absorb the enormous amount of new debt the United States needs to issue. THE SUPPLY OF DEBT IS EXPLODING At the same time demand is being questioned, Treasury supply continues to rise. The government is running massive deficits, while corporations and AI companies are also borrowing huge amounts of money. All of them are competing for the same pool of capital. INFLATION MAKES THE PROBLEM WORSE Inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s target, which makes investors less willing to lock money into long term bonds at lower yie
It’s Official: Americans Are Running Out Of Money
Download the FREE Upside App here https://yt.link/8xSk8ez and use code Graham25 to get an extra 25 cents back per gallon on your first tank of gas! Thank you Upside for sponsoring this video! Let's talk about why Americans are running out of money, the dangers to the economy, and what you can do moving forward - Enjoy! FOLLOW MY INVESTMENTS / STOCKS HERE: https://getblossom.onelink.me/SOfu/grahamstephan START BUILDING WEALTH WITH MY FREE NEWSLETTER: https://grahamstephan.substack.com AMERICANS ARE RUNNING OUT OF MONEY Major CEOs are warning that consumers are stretched thin, with even households earning around $100,000 beginning to shop more cautiously. Mortgage rates are above 7%, gasoline prices have surged, airfare is up sharply, and everyday costs across food, housing, insurance, and transportation continue to climb. EVERYDAY COSTS KEEP RISING New-car payments have hit record highs, used-car prices remain elevated, auto insurance and maintenance cost more, and fuel prices are up significantly. Housing is also more expensive, with higher rents, mortgage payments, utilities, and homeowners insurance. Food and travel costs have increased as well, meaning more of each paycheck is being consumed before discretionary spending even begins. WAGES AREN’T KEEPING UP WITH EVERYTHING Average wages have risen about 4.1%, but many of the largest household expenses are increasing at similar or faster rates. At the same time, borrowing costs for mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, and personal loans have risen, creating a cycle where consumers with less cash available must borrow at increasingly expensive rates. THE SAVINGS CUSHION IS DISAPPEARING The personal savings rate has fallen to roughly 3%, meaning the average household is setting aside very little for emergencies. About half of Americans reportedly cannot comfortably cover an unexpected $500 expense, while companies are seeing lower-income households dip into savings simply to maintain normal spending. THE ECON
The Housing Market Is Completely F*d
Download Rocket Money and get a trial of Premium+ today at: https://RocketMoney.com/Graham | Let's discuss the bond market collapse, rising interest rates, and how this is going to affect the housing market - Enjoy! Add me on Instagram: GPStephan START BUILDING WEALTH WITH MY FREE NEWSLETTER: https://grahamstephan.substack.com BOND MARKET COLLAPSE Mortgage rates have surged to roughly 7.5% while long-term Treasury yields are near their highest levels in more than 20 years. Because bond prices and yields move in opposite directions, rising yields mean investors are demanding significantly higher returns to lend money to the government. That matters because Treasury yields effectively set the baseline for mortgages, corporate debt, stocks, real estate, and almost every other asset. INFLATION AND OIL ARE PUSHING RATES HIGHER Inflation remains elevated while oil has moved back above $100 per barrel. At the same time, negotiations surrounding the Strait of Hormuz have broken down, creating the possibility of even higher energy prices. If oil stays elevated, inflation could remain stubborn, forcing the Federal Reserve to keep rates higher or potentially raise them further. THE GOVERNMENT DEBT PROBLEM The United States is running roughly $2 trillion annual deficits while constantly issuing new Treasury bonds to finance spending. The problem is that this new supply is hitting the market at the same time investors are demanding higher yields. Higher borrowing costs then increase government interest expense, which contributes to larger deficits and even more borrowing. HOUSING DEMAND IS BREAKING DOWN Higher mortgage rates are hitting transactions before prices. Mortgage applications have fallen toward levels not seen since the early 1990s, while Redfin reports 58% more sellers than buyers. In markets including Las Vegas, Miami, Houston, Orlando, and Nashville, there are more than two sellers for every buyer. Builders and sellers are increasingly using price cuts and conc
“$0 Tax On ALL Profits!” - This NEW Housing Market Proposal Is INSANE
Go to https://surfshark.com/graham or use code GRAHAM at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN! | Let's talk about a potentially new new housing market proposal to remove capital gains tax, and the impact this would have across the entire housing market - Enjoy! Add me on Instagram: GPStephan Join The Mastermind: http://www.entertheindex.com/ START BUILDING WEALTH WITH MY FREE NEWSLETTER: https://grahamstephan.substack.com $0 TAX ON HOME SALE PROFITS? There are discussions around dramatically expanding the capital gains exclusion when Americans sell real estate, including the possibility of allowing homeowners to exclude as much as $1 million in profit. If something like this became law, it could have major consequences for homeowners, investors, buyers, sellers, and the entire housing market. THE CURRENT CAPITAL GAINS EXCLUSION Right now, homeowners can generally exclude up to $250,000 of capital gains when filing single, or $500,000 when married filing jointly, as long as they owned and lived in the property for at least two of the previous five years. Those limits were established in 1997 and have never been indexed to inflation, even as home prices have increased substantially. WHY THE $500,000 LIMIT MATTERS For longtime homeowners in expensive markets, the existing exclusion can leave a significant amount of appreciation subject to federal capital gains taxes. Simply adjusting the original $500,000 married exclusion for inflation would put it at roughly $1 million today. COULD INVESTMENT PROPERTIES QUALIFY? This is where the potential impact becomes much larger. Rental properties generally do not qualify for the primary residence exclusion unless the owner satisfies the residency requirements. If lawmakers ever extended a large capital gains exclusion to investment properties, millions of landlords could suddenly have a major financial incentive to sell. MILLIONS OF RENTALS COULD HIT THE MARKET There are roughly 49 million rental units througho
Ranking Money Habits 💰
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The True "Alpha Male" Test 💀
Add me on Instagram: GPStephan PROMOTIONAL OFFER: Get a TRANSFER BONUS when you sign up and make a deposit using my paid affiliate link for WeBull: https://www.webull.com/k/GrahamStephan START BUILDING WEALTH WITH MY FREE NEWSLETTER: https://grahamstephan.substack.com The YouTube Creator Academy: Learn EXACTLY how to get your first 1000 subscribers on YouTube, rank videos on the front page of searches, grow your following, and turn that into another income source: https://the-real-estate-agent-academy.teachable.com/p/the-youtube-creator-academy/?product_id=1010756&coupon_code=100OFF - $100 OFF WITH CODE 100OFF My ENTIRE Camera and Recording Equipment: https://www.amazon.com/shop/grahamstephan?listId=2TNWZ7RP1P1EB For business inquiries, you can reach me at grahamstephanbusiness@gmail.com *Some of the links and other products that appear on this video are from companies which Graham Stephan will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. Graham Stephan is part of an affiliate network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. This is not investment advice.
Togi's Loan Shark Exposed 💀
Add me on Instagram: GPStephan PROMOTIONAL OFFER: Get a TRANSFER BONUS when you sign up and make a deposit using my paid affiliate link for WeBull: https://www.webull.com/k/GrahamStephan START BUILDING WEALTH WITH MY FREE NEWSLETTER: https://grahamstephan.substack.com The YouTube Creator Academy: Learn EXACTLY how to get your first 1000 subscribers on YouTube, rank videos on the front page of searches, grow your following, and turn that into another income source: https://the-real-estate-agent-academy.teachable.com/p/the-youtube-creator-academy/?product_id=1010756&coupon_code=100OFF - $100 OFF WITH CODE 100OFF My ENTIRE Camera and Recording Equipment: https://www.amazon.com/shop/grahamstephan?listId=2TNWZ7RP1P1EB For business inquiries, you can reach me at grahamstephanbusiness@gmail.com *Some of the links and other products that appear on this video are from companies which Graham Stephan will earn an affiliate commission or referral bonus. Graham Stephan is part of an affiliate network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. The content in this video is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. This is not investment advice.
BREAKING: The FED Just RAISED Interest Rates - Stocks Falling, Housing Market FROZEN!
Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code GRAHAM at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/graham | Let's talk about the Federal Reserve Rate hike, The Stock Market, and what this means for the economy - Add me on Instagram: GPStephan START BUILDING WEALTH WITH MY FREE NEWSLETTER: https://grahamstephan.substack.com THE FED JUST RAISED INTEREST RATES For the first time since 2023, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points, potentially marking the end of the rate-cutting cycle. Inflation remains above target, the labor market is still relatively strong, and policymakers appear to believe the economy can withstand higher borrowing costs. WHY INFLATION IS STILL A PROBLEM Producer prices and consumer inflation have remained elevated, while higher energy prices continue adding pressure throughout the economy. As long as inflation stays stubborn, the Federal Reserve has less room to lower rates—and potentially more justification to keep them higher for longer. THE BOND MARKET IS ALREADY RAISING RATES The Federal Reserve directly controls short-term rates, but longer-term borrowing costs are determined largely by the bond market. Treasury yields have already moved substantially higher as investors demand greater compensation for inflation, government borrowing, and long-term uncertainty. WHAT HIGHER RATES MEAN FOR STOCKS Stocks have spent much of the last few years benefiting from expectations of cheaper money. Strong economic data can now work against the market if it gives the Federal Reserve more room to maintain higher rates. At the same time, elevated bond yields increasingly compete with stocks for investor capital. THE HOUSING MARKET IS FEELING IT Mortgage rates have moved higher while housing inventory has increased, giving buyers more options in certain markets. Some cities are already experiencing year-over-year price declines, although historically higher rates alone have not necessarily caused home p
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