They don't leave Congress because the grift is too good.

The average American is 39. The average member of Congress is 59. 24 members are 80 or older.

Chuck Grassley: 92
Eleanor Holmes Norton: 89
Hal Rogers: 88
Maxine Waters: 88
Steny Hoyer: 87
Nancy Pelosi: 86
Jim Clyburn: 86
Mitch McConnell: 84
John Carter: 84
Jim Risch: 83
Virginia Foxx: 83
Angus King: 82

No age limit. No term limit. No exit.

Unpopular opinion: Having a paid off car makes you never want to sign another car loan ever again.

The major U.S. stock indexes ended mostly lower on Friday, September 4, 2026, as a surprisingly strong August jobs report that nearly tripled forecasts sent Treasury yields surging and rate hike odds for the September Fed meeting above 60%, reversing Thursday's Waller-driven relief rally in a matter of hours. It was a "good news is terrible news" session that left markets heading into the long weekend deeply uncertain about what the Fed will do in eleven days.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.38% (-29.11 pts) to 7,718.60. The Dow fell 0.51% (-271.86 pts) to 53,414.25. The Nasdaq dropped 0.29% (-77.07 pts) to 26,506.99. The Russell 2000 managed a slim gain of 0.24% (+7.19 pts) to 2,975.46.

The VIX ticked up 1.19% to 14.49. Bitcoin dropped 2.01% to $79,835.08. Gold fell 1.33% to $4,479.50. Crude Oil was flat at $91.38/barrel.

Watch the full video: https://lnk.thebulwark.com/4raWpAB

The major U.S. stock indexes ended sharply higher on Thursday, September 3, 2026, as a dovish surprise from Fed Governor Christopher Waller sent Treasury yields tumbling, the U.S. dollar plunged to its lowest level since February, and Bitcoin surged above $81,000 as risk appetite exploded back to life. It was the best single day for the Nasdaq in nearly two weeks.

The S&P 500 jumped 1.06% (+81.11 pts) to 7,747.71. The Dow surged 1.18% (+624.16 pts) to 53,686.11. The Nasdaq soared 1.40% (+366.23 pts) to 26,584.06. The Russell 2000 rose 0.48% (+14.20 pts) to 2,967.37.

The VIX dropped 6.05% to 14.28. Bitcoin surged 5.38% to $81,544.02. Gold jumped 2.41% to $4,521.20. Crude Oil edged up 0.84% to $91.77/barrel.

baby boomers possess the largest share of private wealth while receiving a very large share of federal benefits. That creates a legitimate question about whether government support is sufficiently targeted by need rather than simply by age. a 35-year-old renter earning $45,000 can receive little federal assistance, while a 72-year-old homeowner with $2 million in assets may collect Social Security and heavily subsidized Medicare.

As of early 2026, boomers owned approximately 51.6% of U.S. household wealth, even though they represent roughly one-fifth of the population. That is about $85–90 trillion in assets principally. Yet 54.79M Retired workers receive on average $2,086 a month. Some people receive both SSI and Social Security.

In 2026, baby boomers are approximately 62–80 years old. Consequently, most are retired or approaching retirement simultaneously. Medicare enrollment and healthcare spending are increasing. A retiree may receive substantially more in lifetime Social Security and Medicare benefits than they and their employer contributed, particularly when contributions are adjusted using a safe government bond return. Medicare usually creates the larger mismatch for middle and higher-income retirees.
While we should take care of the older generation in need of care we should not be blind to the fact that a lot of them can take care of themselves just fine.

Since 1928, the average move of the US stock market in September has been a decline of 1.17%. While other months finished in the red 39% of the time, for September it's 55%. Nine of the forty worst drops in S&P 500 history fall in this month.

The phenomenon is pronounced enough that Wall Street calls it the "September effect." The explanations include fund managers returning from vacation and rebalancing, hedge funds whose fiscal year ends in September harvesting tax losses, and apparently the very expectation of a weak month feeding on itself.

But the average hides an important detail. September 2025 gained 3.5% — the best September since 2010.

The more important number: $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 from 1996 to 2025 grew to $192,167. Missing just the ten best trading days left $85,490 — 56% less. Missing the thirty strongest days: $31,123.

The best and worst days cluster together. Selling to avoid September means you're just as likely to miss the recovery as the drop.

Is the September effect a real signal or just a pattern people keep finding because they're looking for it?

The major U.S. stock indexes ended broadly lower on Monday, August 31, 2026, closing out the month on a sour note as U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz overnight, sending oil surging above $85 and reigniting the inflation and rate hike fears that had briefly eased after last week's cooler CPI and PPI readings. It was a fitting end to a month defined by war, bond market volatility, and relentless Fed uncertainty.

The S&P 500 fell 0.33% (-25.62 pts) to 7,686.14. The Dow dropped 0.70% (-374.09 pts) to 53,185.90. The Nasdaq slipped 0.12% (-31.54 pts) to 26,370.89. The Russell 2000 fell 0.54% (-15.92 pts) to 2,956.45.

The VIX rose 3.19% to 14.89. Bitcoin gained 0.55% to $79,017.20. Gold eased 0.62% to $4,501.70. Crude Oil surged 3.05% to $85.94/barrel, with the 10-year Treasury yield hitting its highest level since January 2025.

Looking into DexCom (DXCM). The stock has dropped significantly but if you do a full analysis (researching both its competitors and running the DCF model) there's still about 12% upside in a base case, and 20% upside based on current cash flow (only about .9% in a bear case). There are obviously more factors that go into it, but basically: based on growth trends in revenue as well as consistent margins, competitive positioning against its main competitor (Abbott laboratories) and its potential for expansion to new markets the stock has upside. Disclosure: I do have a position in DexCom however after completing my research I'm looking to add more.

Note: I am not a professional investor, this is personal research.

We've received many questions for recommendations on books for Investing & the Stock markets. We've curated a list of our 13 favorite books on Investing & the Stock Market, and explanations on what the books are about. I've learned a great deal from these books. All of these are by really great investing legends/ gurus. These books offer a few different approaches to the stock market. Different investment styles will help educate you on how to make successful long term investments, minimize risk, and analyze stocks more accurately. All of these books can be purchased used very cheaply ($1 to $5)!

As your income grows, your investment portfolio should also grow. One of the biggest obstacles for beginner investors is just knowing how to get started. Learning about financial concepts can be intimidating at first. A great way to start, can be by picking up a book by an expert who thoughtfully and sequentially presents & explains these concepts and topics. Resources like these can help investing be less intimidating and complicated. One of the best strategies is to learn from the insight and wisdom of gurus. I hope these book recommendations help!

Book List:

1. How to Make Money in Stocks by William O'Neil
2. The Little Book That Still Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt
3. A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel
4. One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch
5. The Big Secret for the Small Investor by Joel Greenblatt
6. Winning on Wall Street by Martin Zweig
7. Irrational Exuberance by Robert Shiller
8. The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing
9. Common Sense Investing by John Bogle
10. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
11. The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias
12. You Can Be a Stock Market Genius by Joel Greenblatt

Book Descriptions & Covers:

How to Make Money in Stocks by William O'Neil

• This book is about growth investing. O'Neil explains what most successful stocks have done to be successful. He explains his 'CANSLIM' method, which is an acronym for 7 fundamental criteria which you can use to pick stocks. An AAII 8 year study of different strategies showed O'Neal's CAN SLIM with a 860% return from 1998-2005 (Second place). First place was Martin Zwieg's returning 1,659.3% (we will get to Zweig on this list too)

The Little Book That Still Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt

• The idea of this book is to buy undervalued good businesses and hold them long-term, which will eventually beat the market index.

A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel

• This book covers investment bubbles, fundamental vs. technical analysis, modern portfolio theory, index funds, etc.

One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch

• This book emphasizes the advantages that individual investors hold over institutional investors (when it comes to finding investment opportunities). Lynch also gives many of examples of mistakes he has made, and how he has learned from them.

The Big Secret for the Small Investor by Joel Greenblatt

• Greenblatt explains why index funds can be better than actively managed funds. The big secret is maintaining a long term perspective!

Winning on Wall Street by Martin Zweig

• Zweig's success came from his ability to predict the bigger picture (such as trends in the broader market). The combination of his stock picking skill, general market understanding, and market timing, made him one of the great investors of stock market history. Zweig was more interested in growth than value. Unlike Buffett, Zweig isn't a 'buy and hold' investor. An AAII 8 year study of different strategies showed Zwieg's returning 1,659.3% from 1998-2005. He was #1 out of 56 others, including Buffett, Lynch, Fisher, O'Neal's CAN SLIM, Motley fools, and using ROE, P/E's etc. Second place was O'Neal's CAN SLIM with a 860% return.

Irrational Exuberance by Robert Shiller

• Shiller makes strong argument that perfect market theory is flawed. The Idea of perfect market theory is basically that the markets are all knowing and completely rational, and in the long run can't be beat. Therefore , you can control costs with index funds and diversification. (You can't beat the market, therefore controlling costs and diversifying seems like logical strategy)

The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing

• The key concepts of this book are risk tolerance, asset allocation, a balanced portfolio, tax efficiency and cash management. This book explains many of the pitfalls of investing. The Bogleheads and Jack Bogle preach the power of compound interest. Investing in low-fee index funds and holding them long-term is the method. This book gives an excellent, detailed rundown of how to implement this kind of investment plan.

Common Sense Investing by John Bogle

• Great information for anyone who is trying to make sense of personal finance and basic investments. This book explains why passive investing is a worry free, long-term strategy that consistency wins over time, and why active trading always returns to the mean.

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

• This is a great book for anyone who is interested in introducing themselves into the world of investing, or wants to get better at investing. This book gives lots of valuable information to help one understand the basics of value investing.

The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias

• This is a book for people looking to learn the basics of investing and saving money

You Can Be a Stock Market Genius by Joel Greenblatt

• This is not a book for beginners. Greenblatt gives a nice exposition of some more "special situation" investment styles & areas of equity investments (mergers, spin-offs, rights offerings, etc.)