If you have been watching the market this spring and feeling something between mildly annoyed and genuinely nervous, you are not alone. The S&P 500 opened 2026 on wobbly footing, with the index down roughly 4% through the first quarter after a strong 18% total return in 2025. [1] The VIX has spent most of the year bouncing between the high teens and the low 20s, and it has traded as high as 35 over the past twelve months. [2] Oil crossed back above $85 a barrel after the Febr

If your tax refund hit your account and your first thought was, “Nice, finally,” you’re not alone. For a lot of people, a refund is one of the bigger chunks of cash they’ll see all year. And this year, the average one has been even bigger than usual. According to the IRS, the average federal tax refund for returns processed through early April 2026 was $3,462, with the average direct deposit refund at $3,454. That’s real money. Not life-changing money, necessarily. But defini

The U.S. national average for regular unleaded gasoline crossed $4 a gallon in early April 2026, the first time the country has seen that number since August 2022. AAA pegged the national average at $4.08 , about a dollar higher than a month earlier. GasBuddy recorded an 11.8 cent jump in a single week  and an 85 cent increase from a year ago. This post answers the questions clients have been asking us this week. What is causing the spike, how high could it go, and what shoul

On February 28, 2026, U.S. and Israeli forces launched joint airstrikes on Iran, triggering a conflict that has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, rattled investors, and already begun to change what everyday Americans pay at the pump and the grocery store. Here's what you need to know — and what steps you can take right now. ~20% of global oil supply transits the Strait of Hormuz — now effectively closed $110+ Brent crude per barrel since the conflict began, up fr

A flat tire on I-465 during rush hour. A surprise ER visit at IU Health. A furnace that dies the first week of January. Life in Indiana comes with the same curveballs as anywhere else, and the families who handle them best almost always have one thing in common: cash set aside before the crisis hits. If you've been meaning to start an emergency fund but haven't gotten around to it, you're in good company. A recent Bankrate survey found that more than half of Americans couldn'

Quick takeaways Hiring improved, but the labor market isn’t “hot.”  January payrolls rose +130,000  and unemployment edged down to 4.3% —a small improvement that still looks like a slow-growth  job market. [1] The big story is the revision:  2025 job gains were revised sharply lower , with total nonfarm employment change revised from +584,000 to +181,000 . That reframes the “trend” behind the headlines. [1] Wage growth remains steady:  average hourly earnings rose 0.4% month-