The Americana blog
Money questions, answered plainly.
Weekly market briefs, monthly outlooks, and the annual numbers — plus the thinking we share with our own clients. No jargon, nothing to sell you here.
Recurring insights
Weekly, monthly, and once a year.
Three standing series, published on a schedule you can count on.
Every Friday: what moved, what it means for a household plan, and one thing worth doing.
Latest · July 24, 2026The Weekly Brief — week of July 24, 2026 Read it → Monthly OutlookRates, prices, and the policy changes that actually reach a kitchen table.
Latest · July 1, 2026Monthly Outlook — July 2026 Read it → Annual ReviewThe year's contribution limits, Social Security and Medicare numbers, in one page.
Latest · January 8, 2026The 2026 numbers every household should know Read it →Latest
From the reading room.
The Weekly Brief — week of July 24, 2026
Five minutes on what moved, what it means for a household plan, and the one thing worth doing about it this week.
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Trump Accounts are open. Here's what parents should actually do.
Contributions opened July 4. If your child was born in 2025 or later, there may be $1,000 waiting — and a decision to make about the other $5,000 a year.
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When should you claim Social Security?
Claiming at 62 feels safe. Waiting until 70 feels impossible. The right answer is usually neither — and it is almost never a decision you should make alone.
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How much life insurance is actually enough?
Ten times your income is a rule of thumb, not a plan. Here is the math we actually walk families through — and why the number is usually smaller than people fear.
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Monthly Outlook — July 2026
A longer look at rates, inflation, and the policy changes that actually reach a household budget — plus what we're telling clients to review this month.
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Three Medicare mistakes that cost real money
The penalties are permanent, the windows are short, and almost nobody tells you the rules ahead of time. Here are the three that catch people most often.
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You have an old 401(k) somewhere. Here are your four options.
Leave it, roll it to the new plan, roll it to an IRA, or cash it out. Three are reasonable. One is almost always a mistake.
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What long-term care actually costs in Illinois and Nevada
Medicare doesn't cover it. Medicaid requires spending down to qualify. Here's the number families are actually planning against — and the window to do something about it.
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The 2026 numbers every household should know
Contribution limits, catch-up rules, Social Security and Medicare figures — the annual reference we hand clients, in one page.
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