Podcast appearances and mentions of Freddie Mac

Patrick Bet-David, Eric Bolling, Tom Ellsworth, and Brandon Aceto break down the NYSE's $2 billion Polymarket investment, gold and Bitcoin's explosive rally, Bari Weiss's groundbreaking CBS News deal, and how Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Wall Street are all working to court Trump.-------Ⓜ️ PBD ENTREPRENEUR CIRCLES: https://bit.ly/46U4DTM

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have released temporary policies to keep the housing market moving during the government shutdown. In this episode, Kathy Fettke breaks down what the new rules mean for borrowers, lenders, and real estate investors — including changes to employment verification, paystub requirements, and forbearance options for furloughed workers. JOIN RealWealth® FOR FREE https://realwealth.com/join-step-1  FOLLOW OUR PODCASTS Real Wealth Show: Real Estate Investing Podcast https://link.chtbl.com/RWS SOURCES: https://singlefamily.fanniemae.com/media/43381/display https://guide.freddiemac.com/app/guide/bulletin/2025-E?utm_source=chatgpt.com 

# Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together: Why Smart Mortgage Design MattersWhen clients come to us with their home financing goals, they usually arrive with a clear picture in mind: “I want to borrow this amount” or “I need to refinance my current loan.” And that's a great starting point. But here's what we've learned after years of helping families navigate mortgages—the first idea isn't always the best solution.The real value comes from asking better questions and designing a strategy that works for your specific situation.## Begin With the End in MindRecently, a client contacted us about purchasing a $1.5 million home on the North Shore. They had $300,000 ready for the down payment and wanted to borrow $1.2 million. Simple, right?Not quite. As we talked through their full situation, we learned they had significant equity in their current home, which they'd sell after moving into the new property. They also had good—but not great—credit scores around 740.Here's where mortgage design matters: a $1.2 million jumbo loan with that credit profile would have meant an interest rate north of 7%. But by thinking through the complete picture, we found a better path.We helped them take a second mortgage on their current home to free up equity, then combined that with their cash savings for a larger down payment on the new house. This brought their loan amount under the conforming limit of $806,500, where Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac offer better pricing. The result? A rate in the mid-5% range with no loan costs—and they'd already planned to pay off both mortgages when their old house sold anyway.Same goal. Same end result. Dramatically different monthly payment.## When Family Wants to HelpBuying a home from family members comes with its own unique challenges. Parents and grandparents naturally want to give their children a good deal, but without proper guidance, generosity can sometimes work against everyone's best interests.We recently worked with a family where the parents planned to sell their home to their children for $400,000—well below the $500,000 market value. They were worried about gift tax implications and had carefully calculated a $72,000 gift of equity to stay within annual limits.But here's what most people don't realize: structuring the sale at market value actually creates better loan terms for the buyers. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reward larger down payments with better pricing, and credit scores matter less when you're putting 40% down instead of 20%.The gift of equity works exactly the same either way—it's just structured differently on paper. And for most families, the gift tax concern is overblown. Unless the parents have an estate worth over $30 million, they simply file an extra form with the IRS noting the gift against their lifetime exemption.We connected the family with a qualified tax professional to confirm the approach, then structured the transaction to give the children better financing while the parents still provided the same generous gift. Everyone won.## The Stealth Refinance StrategyMortgage rules change regularly, and staying current on those changes is how we help clients maximize their options. Recently, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac updated their definition of a “no cash-out” refinance—the kind that gets better pricing than a traditional cash-out loan.The new rule allows borrowers to receive the *greater* of $2,000 or 1% of the loan balance at closing while still qualifying for standard refinance rates. For a $400,000 loan, that's $4,000 instead of the old $2,000 limit.

Imagine a world where your investments work smarter, not harder. Keith reveals the truth about why real estate trumps stocks, and how the current economic landscape is creating a once-in-a-generation wealth opportunity. Discover: Why traditional investing wisdom is leaving younger generations behind Why owning assets is the ultimate key to breaking free from economic uncertainty From the dying middle class to the rise of strategic real estate investing, Keith exposes the game-changing insights that most investors never see. Inflation is reshaping the economic landscape - and you can either ride the wave or get swept away Generation Z faces unprecedented economic challenges  Want to learn more? Your financial transformation starts here. Resources: Text FAMILY to 66866 Call 844-877-0888 Visit FreedomFamilyInvestments.com/GRE Show Notes: GetRichEducation.com/573 For access to properties or free help with a GRE Investment Coach, start here: GREmarketplace.com GRE Free Investment Coaching: GREinvestmentcoach.com Get mortgage loans for investment property: RidgeLendingGroup.com or call 855-74-RIDGE  or e-mail: info@RidgeLendingGroup.com Invest with Freedom Family Investments.  You get paid first: Text FAMILY to 66866 Will you please leave a review for the show? I'd be grateful. Search “how to leave an Apple Podcasts review”  For advertising inquiries, visit: GetRichEducation.com/ad Best Financial Education: GetRichEducation.com Get our wealth-building newsletter free— text ‘GRE' to 66866 Our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/GetRichEducation Follow us on Instagram: @getricheducation Complete episode transcript:   Keith Weinhold  0:01   Welcome to GR, I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, talking about real estate versus stocks, how housing has been in a recession that could now be thawing. Then why the war on the young and the vanishing middle class threatens to get even worse today on get rich Education.    Keith Weinhold  0:19   You It's crazy that most people think they're playing it safe with their liquid money when they're actually losing savings accounts and bonds don't keep up when true inflation can eat six to 7% of your wealth. Every single year, I invest my liquidity with FFI freedom family investments and their flagship program with fixed 10 to 12% returns that have been predictable and paid quarterly. There's real world security. It's backed by needs based real estate like affordable housing, Senior Living and healthcare. Ask about the freedom flagship program when you speak to a freedom coach there. And here's what's cool. That's just one part of FF eyes family of products. They include workshops and special webinars, educational seminars designed to educate before you invest start with as little as 25k and finally, get your money working as hard as you do. It's easy to get started. Just grab your phone and text family. 266866, text the word family. 266866, that's family. 266866,   Corey Coates  1:37   you're listening to the show that has created more financial freedom than nearly any show in the world. This is get rich education.   Keith Weinhold  1:47   Welcome to GRE from Rocky Mount North Carolina to Mount Shasta, California and across 188 nations worldwide. I'm your host, Keith Weinhold, and you are inside for another wealth building week of get rich education. A lot of people have been building wealth lately. Do you even understand all the markets that are either at or near all time highs, real estate, stocks, gold, all recently hit those levels, also nested home equity positions of American property owners are at all time highs. Silver is also near an all time high, and so are FICO credit scores. All this means that the haves are in really good shape, and the have nots aren't more on that later. Let's then you and I talk about real estate versus stocks. I've invested in both for decades, and it's not something that I do on the side. This is the core of what I do and talk about with you every week. And I've never felt more inclined toward investing in real estate ever the resilience of residential real estate, a major reason is that I've always found real estate investing easier to understand than the s and p5 100, and it comes down to the mechanics of each one in The stock market, a company can be well run, it can be profitable, and it can even be growing, yet its stock price might fall anyway. Why? Because expectations weren't met for a quarterly earnings report, or investor sentiment just happened to shift for a while, people just tended to focus on the bad stuff instead of the good stuff, even though it was always there, and that's why the stock price went down. So what makes a stock move more often than not, is kind of laughable. It isn't a word sentiment, emotions. It's how investors collectively feel about a stock and that can change on a dime. One quarter's earnings miss an interest rate hike, geopolitical news or even a single social media comment from a CEO that can move billions of dollars of market value in an instant real estate, on the other hand, that strips away a lot of that noise and that ability for other people's emotions to ruin the price of your apartment building that cannot happen at its core, the value of a property is tied to its income stream and the market that It sits in, that makes it far more direct and way more controllable. If I buy a property, I can see the levers in front of me and ask my property manager to push or pull them or even do it myself. For example, I just asked them to replace flooring in three of my apartment units. With pricier luxury vinyl plank rather than new carpet, and that's because I plan to hold that building for another five years or more. I'll attract a better quality tenant that can afford to pay me more rent. So I know that if I improve operations and increase occupancy, reduce expenses or reposition the asset down the road. I mean, that is directly going to increase net operating income, and that increase will directly affect my valuation. So there's a logic to this that's almost mechanical, and that is not to say that real estate is without nuance or risk. The risk lies in execution. You have to underwrite carefully. Is the location of your property sustainable long term? Are the demographics supportive of Lent growth? What capital improvements are truly lucrative to you and provide the tenants with value, and what kind of improvements are only cosmetic? So real estate isn't just tangible, it's also something that you can interact with. You can walk a property, you can even speak to tenants, study the neighborhood and know exactly what you're dealing with. It's not a ticker symbol reacting to opaque forces that you'll never see or control, and for me, that tactile nature creates clarity. When you buy the right property in the right market with the right strategy, then the path forward is not mysterious. It isn't whimsical, it's deliberate. Real Estate is easier to understand than the S p5, 100. And that also doesn't mean that real estate is simple, because there is that due diligence and strategy, but it's the cause and effect relationship between what you do and the outcome that you get that's far more direct with stocks. You can be completely right about the fundamentals. I mean, you can nail it. You can Bullseye that stock target, and after all that, yet still lose with real estate. If you execute well, the fundamentals eventually do show up in the returns and see because of that direct cause and effect relationship, you can improve yourself as a real estate investor faster than a stock investor can, and that's because you can learn about how your upgrade drove your properties, noi, that information, that feedback that you got, that's something that you can either replicate again or improve upon in your own investor career. So between real estate and stocks, execution is the real differentiator, and control is a key one as well. To me, that sweet spot is control that I have. But through a property manager that way, control doesn't mean that you're losing your quality of life, your standard of living. Now, some people, they do, have the right handyman skills to maintain the property and the right people skills to maintain the tenants. So self managing it can work for just a few people. I sure don't have the handyman skills myself. Sheesh, if I even try to hang a picture on a wall, there's a 50% chance that it's going to end in a drywall patch job. When you can see the cause and effect between your decisions and the property's performance, it creates that level of control that stocks and bonds just don't offer. And I'm also being somewhat kind to stocks by discussing a benchmark like the s, p5, 100, even harder to control and understand are the Wall Street derivatives and financial mutations that the people invested in them don't even understand. Unlike stocks, you own, the levers you own, the operations, the expenses and the occupancy, both have risks, but real estate's risks are more perceptible, more knowable. You won't have to cringe when a company's CEO posts a tweet that's either pro Israel or pro Gaza. Billions of market cap is wiped out, and your investment goes down 12% in one hour. This is why we talk about real estate on the show. There is less speculation and conjecture. It is concrete stuff, and that's all besides how real estate pays you five ways at the same time, as if that wasn't enough.    Keith Weinhold  9:38   Now, when we talk about real estate investing in this decade, do you realize that we have been in a housing recession for two years? A recession in real estate? I mean, it might not feel like it with those home prices at erstwhile mentioned all time highs. We don't need to have falling prices to have a recession. Investors are obviously. Making money in this housing recession. The recession I'm talking about is the slowdown in housing activity stemming from less affordability, lower sales volume and less available inventory. But we do now have signs that we are breaking out of these housing doldrums. As far as affordability, national home prices are staying firm. But what's helping there is that mortgage rates have fallen, and we've also had wages that are rising faster than rents and wages that are rising faster than mortgage payments. In fact, wages have been rising faster than both of those for most of the last year now, and that's sourced by Freddie Mac Federal Reserve stats and rental listings on Redfin. Yes, year over year, American wages are up 4.1% rents are up 2.6% and mortgage payments are basically unchanged over the past year, up just two tenths of 1% and of course, these facts, combined with lower mortgage rates, all supports more real estate price growth. Now to kick off the show, I mentioned how real estate stocks and gold all recently hit all time highs. Well, that's denominated in perpetually based dollars, of course. However, one thing that affects you that certainly has not reached all time highs is the level of available homes, the number of homes for sale, that inventory is up off the recent bottom in 2022 yet it is still below pre pandemic levels. We have had quite a recovery here. National active listings definitely on the rise. They are up 21% between today and this time last year. Well, that means that buyers have gained leverage, mostly across the south, where lots of new building has occurred, and some areas of the West as well. Yet today, we are still, overall here 11% below 2019 inventory level. So nationally, we're basically still 11% below pre pandemic housing inventory levels. And in the Midwest and Northeast, the cupboard looks even more bare than that, since new construction totally hasn't kept up there, we will see what happens. But with the recent drop in mortgage rates, buyers might take more of that available inventory off the shelf. But here's the twist that I've heard practically no one else talk about no media source, no one in conversation. Nobody. It is the paucity of available starter homes. It's the entry level home segment that has the great scarcity, and it's these low cost properties that are the ones that make the best rental properties. Their paucity is jaw dropping, as sourced by the Census Bureau and Freddie Mac starter home construction in the US. I mean, it is just fallen precipitously. Are you even aware of the trend? All right, defined as a home of 1400 square feet or less, all right, that's what we're calling a starter home. Their share of new construction that was 40% back in 1982 Yeah, 40% of new built homes were starter homes. Then by the year 2000 it fell to just a 14% share, and today, only 9% of new built homes are starter homes, fewer than one in 10, and yet, that's exactly what America needs more of. So although overall housing inventory is still low, it's that entry level segment that is really chronically underserved, and that won't change anytime soon, we remain mired in a starter home slump because builders find it more profitable to build higher end homes and luxury homes. Yet for anyone that owns this workforce rental property, which is the same thing we've been focused on doing here on this show, from day one, you are sitting in an asset class that's going to remain stubbornly in demand over the long term. And when it comes to starter homes, the ones Investors love most, they are more scarce than bipartisan agreement in Congress, really. That is the takeaway here.    Keith Weinhold  14:39   So last week, I had an interesting in person meet up at a coffee shop with a 19 year old college student because he's a real estate enthusiast, rapping Gen Z there. He's an athlete too, an 800 meter runner. Well, his dad read Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and his dad has 60 rental properties. Where they're from in Wisconsin, and maybe you're wondering, oh, come on, what could I learn from this 19 year old? I don't think that way. Now, I told him about some foundational GRE principles like financially free, beats debt free and things like that. It was also insightful to get his take on how he sees the world, and for me to learn what his professors are teaching him about real estate investing in his classes, he talked about how his professors show them, for example, what affects apartment cap rates. Also about how, whenever they run the numbers on a property, it always works out better to get the debt, get that mortgage, and how that leverage increases total rates of return. I was really happy that he's learning that over there at the university, but I was really impressed how at age 19, he's responsible and understands so much about society, politics, investing, athletics and even diet. I mean, this guy is rare, talking about his preference for avoiding food cooked in seed oils and choosing beef tallow instead. He also lamented on how Generation Z is so screwed up, saying that no one reads, no one's having kids, no one can buy a home, no one's going to be able to buy a home, and that people his age are so used to looking at screens that they're anxious about in person interactions, even in person, food ordering from a waiter at a restaurant gives them anxiety. He and I are planning to go running together next week. We'll see how that goes. As a college 800 meter runner, he's going to have the speed advantage on me, but we're running up a steep, 40 minute long trail where I've got a shot at an endurance advantage. So it was rather interesting to get his take and see what college professors are teaching on real estate. I mean, this generation that's coming of age now, Gen Z is the worst generation since George Washington to have it worse off than their parents. I'm going to talk about that today, shortly. next week, on the show here, I plan to help you learn about what's going on with some real estate niches and what their future looks to be over the next 10 to 20 years, including mobile home park real estate and parking lot real estate, one of these asset classes I really don't like the future of That's all next week on the future of some certain real estate niches. Straight ahead today, I want to tell you about mortgage rates in a way that you've never thought about before and more about the war on the young and the vanishing middle class. I'm Keith Weinhold. There will only ever be one. Get rich education podcast episode 573, and you are listening to it.    Keith Weinhold  17:53   If you're scrolling for quality real estate and finance info today, yeah, it can be a mess. You hit paywalls, pop ups, push alerts, Cookie banners. It's like the internet is playing defense against you. Not so fun. That's why it matters to get clean, free content that actually adds no hype value to your life. This is the golden age of quality email newsletters, and I write every word of ours myself. It's got a dash of humor. It's direct, and it gets to the point, because even the word abbreviation is too long, my letter takes less than three minutes to read, and it leaves you feeling sharp. And in the know about real estate investing, this is paradigm shifting material, and when you start the letter, you'll also get my one hour fast real estate video course, completely free as well. It's called the Don't quit your Daydream letter. It wires your mind for wealth, and it couldn't be simpler to get visit gre letter.com while it's fresh in your head, take a moment to do it now at gre letter.com Visit gre letter.com    Keith Weinhold  19:06   the same place where I get my own mortgage loans is where you can get yours. Ridge lending group and MLS, 42056, they provided our listeners with more loans than anyone because they specialize in income properties. They help you build a long term plan for growing your real estate empire with leverage. Start your prequel and even chat with President Chale Ridge personally. While it's on your mind, start at Ridge lendinggroup.com that's Ridge lendinggroup.com   Todd Drowlette  19:38   this is the star of the A E show the real estate commission, I'd roll that. Listen to get rich education with my friend Keith Weinhold, and don't quit your Daydream.   Speaker 1  19:49   Welcome back to. Get Rich Education. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, as a reminder that show the real estate commission starring our friend Todd Drolet, who is a guest on the show here with us at the beginning of this month, it starts October 10, on A and E, that's that reality based commercial real estate show. Late last year, the Fed lowered interest rates, and they're doing the same thing again this year, when interest rates rise and fall, think of it like a wall that's being raised and lowered. Cutting rates is like lowering the height of a wall or a dam. That's because it allows for the free flow of capital. Savings rate accounts. Well, since they'll now pay at a lower rate with this rate cut, they're more likely to get shifted out and invested somewhere and flow into something else, driving up that other asset's value. Mortgages are more likely to originate because you pay less interest. Lowering rates lowers the impediment to the flow of money. It eases that flow. Oppositely, raising rates is like increasing the height of a wall or a dam, because if your savings account rate goes from 4% up to 5% oh well, you more likely to keep it parked there a higher wall or dam around your money, and raising rates makes your mortgage costs higher, so you're more likely to stay put and not move money around, constrained by the higher wall, that's how interest rates are like walls and lower walls also increase inflation, since they increase The flow of money, and hence the demand for goods and services. Well, then why did the Fed cut rates, lowering the wall opening the door for inflation this last time? Well, I think you know that was due to the evidence of a sputtering job market. You know that, if you follow this stuff, a slowing job market slows the flow of money, hence why they lowered the wall to increase the flow. Now this might translate to even lower mortgage rates. It does have that loose correlation anyway, and this should lift the housing market. But here's the real problem. Inflation is higher than the Fed wants already, and it's still rising, and they cut rates, making it more likely to rise further. This is like pouring gasoline on a campfire while yelling, don't worry. I got this sure the fire burns brighter, all right, but you might lose your eyebrows. The risk here is that these rate cuts will make inflation spike, since lower rates makes everyone less likely to save and more likely to borrow and spend, this pushes up prices even farther and faster, and this is the Fed's dangerous game. This is the crux about why the Fed is between a rock and a hard place. Ideally, the Fed only cuts of inflation is at or below their 2% target, but understand it hasn't even been there one time in nearly five years. Now, year over year, inflation was 2.7% last month and rose to 2.9% this month. The price of almost everything is up even faster than it usually goes up, beef, housing, haircuts, flamin hot, Cheetos, everything as we know this inflation that's now positioned to pick up again. However, for us, this is the long term engine that makes our real estate profitable. It makes it easier to raise rents, all while your principal and interest payment stays fixed. Inflation cannot touch that like a mosquito buzzing against a window, and let's be real, official inflation numbers are like Instagram filters. They are shaved down, touched up and airbrushed. The government massages them with tricks like hedonics, the wave of inflation that peaked at 9% in 2022 that has already widened the distance between the haves and the have nots, like the Grand Canyon, eviscerating so much of the middle class. And now the powers that be are setting up a scenario for another wave of elevated, long term inflation. This could get dire. Look like I was saying earlier the generation coming of age today is the first one since George Washington to have it worse off than their parents. Do You understand the profundity of this? They had the lowest home ownership rate, and they're the poorest, often leaving them directionless, anxious, depressed, drug addicted and even suicidal for. The first time in US history, Americans are on track to be poorer, sicker and lonelier than their parents. They will make even less than their parents did at the same age, and that's despite having a college degree. Inflation is a big reason for that, and that's what I help you solve here. I can't really help you with the depression stuff. That's not really my role with what I do here in the show. But inflation, in getting behind is one contributor to all these things. Understand, in 1989 those under age 40, they held 12% of household wealth. Today it's just 7% older Americans got rich, and they basically locked the gates behind them. Those over age 70 only held 19% of US wealth in 1989 now it's 30% Harvard's endowment has grown 500% since 1980 that's adjusting for inflation, but yet their class size hasn't grown. I mean, this is just more evidence that old money wins and young people are losing and cannot get ahead in 2019 the federal government spent eight times more per capita on seniors than they did kids. We all know that Gen Z is delaying marriage, home ownership and family formation in 1993 60% of 30 to 34 year olds had at least one child. Today, it's gone all the way down to 27% in about 30 years, that's fallen from 60% down to 27% this is not a resource problem. It's a values problem and an inflation problem, and also the tax code, values owning assets which older people have over labor, which younger people have. This is the crux of the war on the young and the war on those that don't own assets. You've got to wonder, is it even fixable? Some of it is, but no one really wants to fix inflation, and now they're lowering rates to open the door for even more of that widening that canyon, yes, the wave of inflation that started four to five years ago that broke down the middle class, and now it's set up to widen even more. I want to tell you what you can do about that shortly. But first, have you ever wondered, why do we even stratify upper, middle and lower class based on somebody's income? Why the income criterion, if you say that someone's upper class, everyone knows what that means. It means that you have a lot of wealth or income. But why is that the basis? Why do we classify it based on income? Well, it really started forming during the Industrial Revolution of the 1700s and 1800s that began in Great Britain. Before that, class distinctions were usually based on land ownership or nobility or occupation, for example, aristocrats versus peasants. But as industrial capitalism spread out of the UK, wages became the dominant way that people made a living. So tracking income, it sort of became this natural way to map out class. And then this notion spread in the 1800s and 1900s that was propelled through both economics and social science. You had thinkers like Karl Marx and Max Weber that were deeply concerned with class. Marx emphasized ownership of the means of production. You've probably heard that before, capitalists versus workers. But as societies modernized people in the world of both Economics and Psychology, they agreed that income was an easier dividing line than ownership alone. And then, starting last century, in the US, the 1900s income statistics, they became rather central in all of these policies that we make, like our tax system and poverty thresholds and qualifying for housing programs and even welfare benefits. See, they all rely on income bands. And over time, this normalized in our vernacular, these strata of upper middle and lower class sort of this income based shorthand that we use, throwing these terms around. So whether we like it or not, classes are based on your income level, and that's how it came into being. Well, with. A quick history lesson with the eroding of the middle class, with the war on the young. What can you actually do to make sure that you find yourself on the upper income side of it without falling to the lower side the lower class? Well, we know who the future financial losers are going to be. It is anyone not owning assets, and it's also savers clutching their dollars as those dollars quietly melt like ice cubes in July, right in their hand. Those are who the financial losers are going to be. Who are the winners going to be? It is asset owners riding the inflation wave, and the winners are also debtors who get to pay back tomorrow with cheaper dollars today, especially with that debt that you have outsourced to tenants. Here's the big takeaway, if you did not grab enough real assets during the last wave of inflation don't get left behind this time, because the longer you wait, the harder it is to jump aboard this moving train that keeps getting momentum and moving faster. The bottom line here is that at GRE we advocate for simply doing it all at once. Use debt to own real assets while inflation pushes up your rents. That's it, right. There it is. That's really the most concise way to orate the formula. Look in your mortgage loan documents. It does not say that you have to repay the mortgage loan in dollars or their equivalent. It only says you have to repay in dollars. That's your advantage. As dollars keep trending closer to worthless. To review what you've learned so far today, real estate is easier to understand and has more control than stocks. Housing has been in a recession, but there's more evidence that it is thawing, and a setup for more inflation has America poised to exacerbate the war on the young and widen the canyon between the haves and the have nots, and it threatens to get even wider as the middle class keeps vanishing and struggling.   Keith Weinhold  32:23   Now, if you like good free information, like with what I've been sharing with you today, and you find yourself doing a bit too much scrolling for quality written real estate and finance info. I mean, yeah, it can be a mess. It can be tough. If you want to get the good stuff, you hit paywalls and pop ups, and you get these push alerts and cookie banners. It's a little annoying. It's like the internet is playing defense against you. Not so fun, and that's why it matters to get good, clean, free content that actually adds no hype value to your life. This is the golden age of quality email newsletters. I've got one. I write every word of ours myself, and it's got a dash of humor, yet it's direct. And it gets to the point because, as I like to say, even the word abbreviation is too long. My letter takes less than three minutes to read, and it leaves you feeling sharp and in the know about real estate investing, this is the good stuff, the paradigm shifting material, the life changing material, you can get my letter free at gre letter.com Where else would you get the GRE letter? Greletter.com and along with the letter, you'll also get my one hour fast real estate video. Course, it's completely free as well, and it's not to try to upsell you to some paid course, there is no paid course, there's just nothing for sale, no strings attached, free value. It's called the Don't quit your Daydream letter. It wires your mind for wealth, and it couldn't be simpler to get as you know, I often like to part ways with something actionable for you, visit gre letter.com while it's fresh in your head, take a moment to do it now one last time it's gre letter.com until next week. I'm your host. Keith Weinhold, don't quit your Daydream.   Speaker 2  34:24   nothing on this show should be considered specific, personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate, financial or business professional for individualized advice. Opinions of guests are their own. Information is not guaranteed. All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. The host is operating on behalf of get rich Education LLC, exclusively.   Keith Weinhold  34:52   The preceding program was brought to you by your home for wealth building. Get richeducation.com

Too often, the public debate about housing focuses on costs and ignores investment returns to property owners. Mike Fellman was an economist at Freddie Mac and is now a property investor. He explains in this conversation how important the investment dynamics in housing are for understanding what gets built where. Find Mike on Twitter/X here and read his “thread of threads” that explains many of the misperceptions about the financial drivers of housing markets here. As always, please like, share, comment, and subscribe. Thanks for your support. You can find Fresh Economic Thinking on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Theme: Happy Swing by Serge Quadrado Music—Creative Commons Licence CC BY-NC 4.0Interested in learning more? Fresh Economic Thinking runs in-person and online workshops to help your organisation dig into the economic issues you face and learn powerful insights. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.fresheconomicthinking.com/subscribe

In this episode, Adam Butler is joined by Harley Bassman, Managing Partner at Simplify Asset Management, for a wide-ranging discussion on interest rate volatility, portfolio construction, and public policy. Bassman explains his creation of the MOVE Index before diving into strategies using long-dated options to create asymmetric payoffs. They also explore the systematic risks that challenge diversified portfolios during Fed policy inflection points. The conversation concludes with Bassman's strong case against the re-privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, detailing the potential negative consequences for the housing market.Topics Discussed• The creation and mechanics of the MOVE Index as a VIX for the bond market• Explaining complex financial derivatives by drawing analogies to fundamental physics concepts• Constructing highly asymmetric, long-term trades based on the shape of the yield curve• The failure of traditional diversification during major inflection points in Federal Reserve policy• The paradigm shift to passive investing flows overriding traditional market valuation metrics• A new trade idea involving a positive-carry call option on Treasury rates as a recession hedge• The evolution of portfolio tools like Return Stacking and derivative-based ETFs• Identifying U.S. immigration policy as the most significant and overlooked macroeconomic risk• The public policy argument against the re-privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Danny Moses talks to Meredith Whitney, founder of Meredith Whitney Advisory Group, about the current state of the housing market and consumer finance. Meredith highlights the sluggishness in existing home sales, attributing it to seniors holding onto their homes and tapping into home equity loans. She discusses the consumer spending patterns of Gen Z and Millennials, focusing on the financial impact of student loans and rising healthcare premiums. The conversation also touches on private credit's growing role in consumer lending and the potential implications for companies like Rocket Mortgage and Upstart. Meredith provides insights into the regulatory landscape, the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the shifting dynamics of the credit card market. She concludes by discussing her successful investment picks and the potential for a coming economic cycle. --ABOUT THE SHOWFor decades, Danny has seen it all on Wall Street and has built his reputation on integrity, curiosity and skepticism that he will bring with him each week. Having traded through the Great Financial Crisis and being featured in "The Big Short" is only part of the experiences Danny wants to share with the listener. This weekly podcast cuts through market noise, offering entertaining and informative discussions with expert guests giving their views of the financial world and the human side of it. Whether you're a seasoned investor or just getting started, On The Tape provides something for all listeners.Follow Danny on X: @dmoses34The financial opinions expressed are for information purposes only. The opinions expressed by the hosts and participants are not an attempt to influence specific trading behavior, investments, or strategies. Past performance does not necessarily predict future outcomes. No specific results or profits are assured when relying on this content.Before making any investment or trade, evaluate its suitability for your circumstances and consider consulting your own financial or investment advisor. The financial products discussed in 'On The Tape' carry a high level of risk and may not be appropriate for many investors. If you have uncertainties, it's advisable to seek professional advice. Remember that trading involves a risk to your capital, so only invest money that you can afford to lose.Derivatives are not suitable for all investors and involve the risk of losing more than the amount originally deposited and any profit you might have made. This communication is not a recommendation or offer to buy, sell or retain any specific investment or service.

Send us a textThe Federal Reserve just cut rates by 25 basis points on September 17, 2025 – so is NOW the BEST time to jump into multifamily investing, or the WORST with oversupply and economic uncertainty? We dive into fresh data from CBRE, Freddie Mac, and the Fed's latest “dot plot” to analyze cap rates, rent growth, vacancy trends, and transaction volumes. From Sun Belt risks to Midwest opportunities, this is your investor's guide to 2025 multifamily! Perfect for syndicators, REIT investors, and value-add pros. Support the showFollow Rama on socials!LinkedIn | Meta | Twitter | Instagram|YoutubeConnect to Rama Krishnahttps://calendly.com/rama-krishna/ E-mail: info@ushacapital.comWebsite: www.ushacapital.comRegister for Multifamily AP360 - 2025 virtual conference - https://mfap360.com/To find out more about partnering or investing in a multifamily deal: email: info@ushacapital.com

With the mortgage servicing landscape constantly evolving since the pandemic, understanding the information and trends at hand is key to staying ahead of the curve. In this episode of Actualizing Success, industry veterans Partner Matt Seu and Director EJ Kite with Actualize Consulting unpack the dynamics that are reshaping real estate and mortgage servicing today. From post-pandemic market corrections to regional supply-and-demand imbalances, and the long-term effects of interest rate whiplash, Matt and EJ share expert insights drawn from decades of experience. They also delve into investor behavior, population migration patterns, and the increasing importance of predictive modeling and data analytics in managing borrower risk and portfolio health. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting in the real estate arena, our industry experts offer valuable insights into what's next for the mortgage servicing industry.Listen to learn more about:Post-pandemic market shifts in housing market dynamicsThe rise and fall of home inventories and their influence on pricing and buyer opportunityNavigating interest rate volatilityRegional housing supply differences and each area's unique challenges and opportunitiesThe role of predictive modeling and data analytics in addressing potential market challenges and improving mortgage servicing strategiesJoin us for an insightful discussion that breaks down key market trends and equips industry professionals to proactively prepare for future changes in the evolving mortgage servicing landscape.About Matt Seu Matt is a Partner at Actualize Consulting, managing the Mortgage & Fixed Income practice. With three decades of experience in the mortgage industry, Matt is a wealth of information and a true thought leader committed to moving the industry forward through digital transformation and standardizing how the mortgage industry communicates. Before his time at Actualize, he served as a Vice President for Freddie Mac, focusing on large-scale business and technology change efforts. Matt is a winner of the 2023 Industry Titans Award.  Email: mseu@actualizeconsulting.com  About EJ Kite EJ is a Director with Actualize Consulting and has over 35 years of expertise in information management. He has a proven track record in team building, infrastructure analysis, and crafting enduring solutions to meet dynamic business demands. With a 24-year tenure across Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, he has consistently spearheaded initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and foster strategic growth through data-driven insights. EJ holds a degree in Business Administration from Roanoke College. He has received various awards, including the Sapphire Award for Auction in 2021, the Commitment to Excellence Award in 2017, and the Mortgage Banking 2012 Technology All-Star Award. Email: Ekite@actualizeconsulting.com Thanks for listening to this episode of the Actualizing Success Podcast! We hope you enjoyed the discussion and will come back for more. In the meantime, don't forget to rate this episode and leave a review!   Get in touch with Actualize at www.actualizeconsulting.com     We'd love to hear from you! If you have any questions, comments, or would like to collaborate on a future episode, please contact us at podcast@actualizeconsulting.com. 

Inflation is up and its down. We have revisions and a weakening jobs market. 10yr Treasury trying to break below 4%. And a new top dog is crowned. Our guest, Peter Schiff of Europacific Global. NEW! DOWNLOAD THE AI GENERATED SHOW NOTES (Guest Segment) Peter Schiff began his investment career as a financial consultant with Shearson Lehman Brothers in 1987. A financial professional for over twenty years, he joined Euro Pacific Capital, Inc. (EPC) in 1996 and has served as its President since January 2000. Peter Schiff is a widely recognized economic and financial analyst and has appeared frequently on Fox News, Fox Business, CNBC, CNN, and other financial and political news outlets. Peter is a highly recommended broker by many leading financial newsletters and investment advisory services and achieved national notoriety in 2008 as being one of the few economists to have accurately forecast the financial crisis well in advance. Between 2004 and 2006 he had made numerous high-profile statements predicting the bursting of the real estate bubble, significant declines in national real estate prices, the collapse of the mortgage market and the banking sector, the bankruptcy and bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Peter has authored several best-selling books including Crash Proof, Crash Proof 2.0, How and Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets, and The Real Crash. He also served as an economic advisor to the 2008 Ron Paul presidential campaign. Check Out EuroPacific Capital Follow @andrewhorowitz Check this out and find out more at: http://www.interactivebrokers.com/ Looking for style diversification? More information on the TDI Managed Growth Strategy - HERE Stocks mentioned in this episode:(MSFT), (ORCL), (AMZN), (GLD), (NEM)

It's a high-pressure year for multifamily. Looming maturities, tough capital markets, changing policies, a major shake-up of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on the horizon and intensified national attention are all converging to complicate the sector.But multifamily fundamentals are strong, Sharon Karaffa, president of multifamily debt and structured finance at Newmark, said on this week's episode.“Absorption has been very high and vacancies are very low. Most of the supply wave is behind us,” she said. “So we think we're on the upswing.”The ending of the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could disrupt the market, depending on how exactly it happens.Karaffa said it is critical that the privatized organizations have a line to the Treasury to maintain affordability, that a strict regulatory framework is put in place to avoid the mess of the Global Financial Crisis and that the agencies are not combined — the market needs both to keep competition alive.

Willy was joined once again by Ryan Marshall, President and Chief Executive Officer of PulteGroup, Inc., at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) Fall Conference.  They took to the stage to discuss how demographic shifts are reshaping the homebuilding market, the leading indicators PulteGroup relies on to navigate change, and the evolution of its brands to serve distinct consumer needs. Ryan also shared how Del Webb communities are adapting to new lifestyle expectations, including a growing focus on wellness, and offered perspective on broader housing challenges—from affordability and immigration to the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Tune in for the trends and insights that you need to know. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we welcome Colin Allen, executive director of the American Property Owners Alliance. Colin, a veteran of Washington, D.C. for 20 years, provides a deep, unfiltered analysis of the current political landscape and its direct influence on the real estate market. Breaking down the federal government's approach to the housing supply crisis, the partisan divides, and the surprising bipartisan collaboration on key bills. This is a must-listen for professionals who want to understand the forces shaping the market beyond headlines and interest rates. Connect with Colin on LinkedIn - X or send him a message callen@propertyownersalliance.org.   Learn more about APOA on LinkedIn - Facebook - X or online propertyownersalliance.org.   Subscribe to Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@RealEstateInsidersUnfiltered?sub_confirmation=1   To learn more about becoming a sponsor of the show send us an email: jessica@inman.com You asked for it. We delivered. Check out our new merch! https://merch.realestateinsidersunfiltered.com/   Follow Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered Podcast on Instagram - YouTube - Facebook - TikTok. Visit us online at realestateinsidersunfiltered.com.   Link to Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RealEstateInsidersUnfiltered Link to Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/realestateinsiderspod/ Link to YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/@RealEstateInsidersUnfiltered Link to TikTok Page: https://www.tiktok.com/@realestateinsiderspod Link to website: https://realestateinsidersunfiltered.com This podcast is produced by Two Brothers Creative. https://twobrotherscreative.com/contact/  

Welcome back to America's #1 Daily Podcast,  featuring America's #1 Real Estate Coaches and Top EXP Realty Sponsors in the World, Tim and Julie Harris. Ready to become an EXP Realty Agent and join Tim and Julie Harris?  Visit: https://whylibertas.com/harris or text Tim directly at 512-758-0206. ******************* 2025's Real Estate Rollercoaster: Dodge the Career-Killers with THIS Mastermind!

Sam is the Founder of Saratoga Group and a private equity real estate fund manager with over $300M AUM, specializing in revitalizing mobile home communities. Active in real estate since 2009, his expertise spans distressed assets, land development, and multiple CRE asset classes. Passionate about affordable housing and community impact, he serves on the Auburn Economic Development Council and the board of Auburn Sutter Faith Hospital. Sam holds an MBA from Wharton and a BS in Chemical Engineering from BYU.   Here's some of the topics we covered:   Rich Dad Poor Dad and the game-changing influence it had on Sam How Sam broke into mobile home community investing Creative financing strategies in the mobile home space How to handle non-payment challenges in mobile home parks Why mobile home communities are disappearing across America Breaking down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debt in mobile home parks Sam's must-hear advice for aspiring investors The keys to hiring and managing great operators for mobile home parks   To find out more about partnering or investing in a multifamily deal: Text Partner to 72345 or email Partner@RodKhleif.com    For more about Rod and his real estate investing journey go to www.rodkhleif.com   Please Review and Subscribe  

This week, the Trump administration announced it would sell around 5% of mortgage giants and government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The sale would begin to reintroduce the two firms to private markets after 17 years of government conservatorship. The decision to re-privatize two of the largest mortgage firms in the world, and a prominent reason why the United States is one of the only countries where people can get 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, will have enormous implications for the U.S. economy, housing market, and the American dream.Fannie Mae was founded during the Great Depression with the idea of making mortgages more widely available to Americans by buying mortgage loans from banks. Freddie Mac came along in 1970 to provide competition and increase liquidity for mortgages. In part, Fannie and Freddie increased liquidity by repackaging their mortgages into mortgage-backed securities and reselling them to investors. In the early 2000s, the subprime mortgage crisis began as smaller, unregulated financial actors started offering risky mortgage loans and likewise repackaged them to investors. When the crisis imploded in 2008, it gutted the market for mortgage-backed securities, and the U.S. government seized Fannie and Freddie to prevent them from collapsing. The government feared that without Freddie and Fannie, many Americans would no longer be able to afford home ownership. Today, Fannie and Freddie still back roughly 50% of all mortgage loans, with other government agencies making up another chunk.The Trump administration's plans to take these GSEs public again will allow the two firms to raise billions through new stock offerings and shift risk back to the private sector. But the question is, why is the government doing this? Will it help fix the country's housing crisis—which Trump has reportedly called a national emergency—or will it make matters worse? Bethany and Luigi get together to discuss what it would mean for Fannie and Freddie to go public, who benefits from these developments, and their implications for home loans, the housing market, and the American economy.Also check out Bethany's book, published in 2015: Shaky Ground: The Strange Saga of the U.S. Mortgage Giants

What if your portfolio could help advance justice, compassion, and human flourishing?Aligning your investments with your faith isn't just about avoiding harm—but actively shaping the world around them for good. Stella Tai joins us to talk about how investors are putting their values to work in the marketplace.Stella Tai is the Stewardship Investing Impact and Analysis Manager for Praxis Investment Management, an underwriter of Faith & Finance.Faith-Based Investing in Action: Praxis' 2024 Impact ReportFor many believers, investing isn't just about building wealth—it's about aligning financial decisions with faith values. Praxis Investment Management, a pioneer in faith-based investing since 1994, continues to demonstrate how Christians can utilize their investments to promote justice, compassion, and tangible change in the world. In its latest Impact Report, Praxis highlights how investor dollars are transforming communities and influencing some of the world's largest companies.Shaping a more just and compassionate world is something that's important to many investors, particularly those of faith. Praxis' annual report reveals where the money goes and how it's used, inspiring others to view their investments as powerful tools for making a difference.Praxis organizes its efforts around seven “impact strategies,” which support underserved communities, promote responsible business practices, and bring faith into everyday financial decisions.Speaking Truth to Power: Shareholder AdvocacyOne highlight of the report is Praxis's work in shareholder advocacy with global brands like Nike.Nike employs over a million people worldwide, many of whom are based in vulnerable regions. Praxis is part of a coalition pushing for stronger human rights protections in the supply chain, including safeguards against wage theft and exploitation. Every worker deserves to have their God-given dignity respected.Praxis is also collaborating with companies such as Coca-Cola and Nestlé to address child labor and wage theft in the global sugar supply chain, advocating for third-party audits and increased transparency.Positive Impact Bonds: Financing ChangeBeyond advocacy, Praxis invests in bonds that directly benefit communities. Recent purchases include:World Bank IDA Program Bonds, targeting extreme poverty with measurable results.Green and Sustainable Bonds from Freddie Mac, which expand affordable housing and environmental stewardship.These investments generate jobs, improve access to healthcare, and help communities thrive—all while providing competitive financial returns.Real Stories of TransformationPraxis' report also shares stories of hope, such as the expansion of Always Keep Progressing, a Miami therapy center that serves children with special needs. Through investment partnerships, the clinic now helps more than 400 families.This is redemptive investing in action. It's about fostering human flourishing, not just financial gain.Praxis also partners with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and credit unions that serve neighborhoods often overlooked by traditional banking systems. These organizations offer small business loans, enhance access to healthcare, and provide support to underserved rural and urban areas.Whether here in the U.S. or abroad, CDFIs are helping communities gain access to capital and create opportunities.The Momentum of Faith-Based InvestingMore Christians are realizing that their portfolios can reflect their values.Scripture calls us to care for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner. When our faith aligns with our financial actions, even small changes can move markets toward justice.This includes proxy voting, which Praxis views as a form of corporate discipleship—using investor influence to advocate for fair labor, environmental stewardship, and other critical issues.How to Get StartedStart by asking yourself a simple but important question: “Do my investments reflect my faith values?” If the answer is no—or you're not sure—consider talking with a financial professional who understands faith-based investing. Every investor, whether managing a little or a lot, can play a role in shaping a redemptive economy. That's why we recommend connecting with a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA). To find one near you, visit FaithFi.com and click “Find a Professional.”Praxis' Impact Report offers practical insights and inspiring stories of transformation. You can access it at PraxisInvests.com, along with quarterly updates and resources to help you make informed, faith-driven investment decisions.On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I'd like to set up a trust that distributes money to my children monthly after my death, rather than giving them a lump sum. How is a trust manager typically compensated? Are they paid with each monthly distribution, or do they take a percentage?I'm 71, retired, and using a managed account to supplement my retirement income by withdrawing about 4.2% annually. Is this a wise approach for sustaining my retirement, or should I consider other strategies?I just turned 66 and plan to file for Social Security soon. My goal is to be debt-free by the time I retire. Should I use my Social Security benefits over the next couple of years to pay off my mortgages so I can enter retirement without debt?Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner)Praxis Investment ManagementWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on MoneyLook At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

Episode 578 Welcome to Loan Officer Freedom, the #1 podcast in the country for loan officers, hosted by Carl White. In this episode, Carl sits down with Owen Lee to tackle one of the biggest questions facing our industry right now: what happens if Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac come out of conservatorship? Owen breaks down the history of Fannie and Freddie, why they've remained under government control for nearly two decades, and the different paths being discussed to take them private again. You'll hear the real pros and cons of merging them into one entity versus keeping them separate, and why the rules around this shift matter more than most loan officers realize. Carl and Owen explain in plain terms what this means for you. If it's handled well, business goes on as usual. If it's not, mortgage rates could climb 50 to 100 basis points almost overnight, changing the landscape for borrowers and loan officers alike. You'll also hear why staying engaged in these industry conversations is critical, and how tools like the Mortgage Action Alliance can help us all be ready to act if needed. This one is about protecting our industry, our clients, and our future. Listen in and get the clarity you need on what's coming next. Schedule a one-on-one free coaching call, click here or visit LoanOfficerStrategyCall.com.

Think your credit score is too low to buy a home? That may be about to change. In this episode, Jeb Smith and Josh Lewis sit down with Anthony Hutchinson of VantageScore to break down a major shift in the mortgage world. For the first time ever, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will soon accept VantageScore 4.0, a game-changer for first-time buyers, renters with thin credit files, and underserved communities. Start your stress-free loan journey todayJoin Rate Watch – we'll watch rates for youEmail: info@theeducatedhomebuyer.comConnect with Us

Hello, and welcome back to Source of Truth, the new podcast miniseries from Fintech Takes, sponsored by our friends at SOLO. This series is about information asymmetry (the enemy of financial services; especially lending).  In Episode, we tackled truth vs. trust. And in Episode 2, we explore history vs. overconfidence, which goes something like this: In 1995, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac effectively mandated the use of FICO scores in mortgage underwriting. Almost overnight, credit scores went from a niche tool in bankers' back rooms to the market's law of the land. Joining me to unpack that history and its consequences is Martin Kleinbard, Founder of Granual Fintech (and author of the great research report How Cashflow Data Can Diffuse the Credit Score Time Bomb, which I was proud to publish at Fintech Takes).  Highlights include: What began as an additive tool for underwriting quickly became a substitute for judgment (lenders skipped the W-2s and leaned entirely on the number) The three pillars of credit: Willingness to pay (FICO's wheelhouse), ability to pay (cash flow, income, assets), and product risk (loan terms that can themselves trigger default) – the financial crisis showed what happens when you ignore the latter two! Second-order risk today. From BNPL quirks to payment hierarchy surprises (why personal loans sometimes get paid before mortgages), context still matters more than any one score This episode explores what happens when we reduce everything to a single number: lenders miss nuance, consumers get misread. A credit score can predict repayment, but only context explains it. And in the end, context is king. Subscribe now and catch the rest of Source of Truth … we're just getting started! This miniseries is brought to you by SOLO. SOLO resolves and connects customer data across silos — so teams stop rekeying the same customer info for the hundredth time and finally move forward. Break the cycle at SOLO.one - That's SOLO dot o-n-e. Sign up for Alex's Fintech Takes newsletter for the latest insightful analysis on fintech trends, along with a heaping pile of pop culture references and copious footnotes. Every Monday and Thursday: https://workweek.com/brand/fintech-takes/ And for more exclusive insider content, don't forget to check out my YouTube page. Follow Alex:  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgfH47QEwbQmkQlz1V9rQA/videos LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexhjohnson Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AlexH_Johnson Follow Martin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-kleinbard-6122aa1a/ We also chat about his new piece in Open Banker (on AI for consumer bankers), which you can read here: https://openbanker.beehiiv.com/p/aiforconsumerbankers Learn more about SOLO here.

Trump is finding a handy enforcer in an unexpected place. Instead of focusing on the housing finance system, America's top housing regulator is honing in on Trump's political enemies. Bill Pulte is searching through property records looking for ways to accuse people (Senator Adam Schiff, NY AG Letitia James and Fed. Governor Lisa Cook) of mortgage fraud with the threat of a criminal investigation. How did Pulte's new job as the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chair of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac end up morphing into this attack dog position? Presidential historian and political analyst John Rothmann is back! We'll ask him about this and more. Trump is stopping key wind turbine projects at a time when spending on renewable energy is on the rise. We turn to eco-journalist Belinda Waymouth for “ It's the Planet, Stupid!” to find out why.

Part two of this special series dives into three critical pieces of the 2025 housing market shift: home sales, inventory, and affordability. David Sidoni breaks down the numbers, explains why headlines can be misleading, and shows how today's changes open up new opportunities for first-time buyers.The 2025 housing market is in the middle of a transformation unlike anything seen in decades. In part two of this three-part series, David Sidoni unpacks the latest on home sales, shifting inventory, and affordability. He shares how existing home sales have dropped to just over 4 million in recent years, but new data and falling mortgage rates are signaling a move back toward healthier levels. Headlines might scream contradictions — sluggish sales one day, rising applications the next — but that's exactly why staying educated matters. Inventory is building, builders are offering incentives, and affordability is showing signs of life. For first-time buyers, understanding these shifts is the key to beating the rush and securing a home before competition heats back up.Quote: “If you take advantage of this shift now, you can beat the bum rush of a bazillion other buyers.”Highlights:Existing home sales data from 2019–2025 and what it means for first-time buyersWhy headlines about sales and applications seem contradictoryThe role of new construction and builder incentives in boosting supplyHow declining mortgage rates are already improving affordabilityActionable insights on how to prepare for the next market phaseReferenced Episodes:Part 1 of this 2025 Crucial Housing Market Shift series (home prices & mortgage rates)355 - Real Answers Pt 4: Should I Rent or Buy in 2025?Sources:Zillow, Redfin, Goldman Sachs, Housing Wire, Ris Media, US News, Bloomberg, The National Association of REALTORS®, Realtor.com, Homes.com, Zelman & Associates, Brian Buffini and other housing economists, The Mortgage Bankers Association, U.S. Census Bureau, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, financial Samurai, Moody's, Inman, US News, Apollo Global, Wells Fargo, and the National Association of Home Builders.Connect with me to find a trusted realtor in your area or to answer your burning questions!Subscribe to our YouTube Channel @HowToBuyaHomeInstagram @HowtoBuyAHomePodcastTik Tok @HowToBuyAHomeVisit our Resource Center to "Ask David" AND get your FREE Home Buying Starter Kit!David Sidoni, the "How to Buy a Home Guy," is a seasoned real estate professional and consumer advocate with two decades of experience helping first-time homebuyers navigate the real estate market. His podcast, "How to Buy a Home," is a trusted resource for anyone looking to buy their first home. It offers expert advice, actionable tips, and inspiring stories from real first-time homebuyers. With a focus on making the home-buying process accessible and understandable, David breaks down complex topics into easy-to-follow steps, covering everything from budgeting and financing to finding the right home and making an offer. Subscribe for regular market updates, and leave a review to help us reach more people. Ready for an honest, informed home-buying experience? Viva la Unicorn Revolution - join us! This is one part of a 3 part series highlighting the most significant housing market shift since this podcast began in 2019. Check out the podcast library for the full series for a complete update.

This week we talk about General Motors, the Great Recession, and semiconductors.We also discuss Goldman Sachs, US Steel, and nationalization.Recommended Book: Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek ThompsonTranscriptNationalization refers to the process through which a government takes control of a business or business asset.Sometimes this is the result of a new administration or regime taking control of a government, which decides to change how things work, so it gobbles up things like oil companies or railroads or manufacturing hubs, because that stuff is considered to be fundamental enough that it cannot be left to the whims, and the ebbs and eddies and unpredictable variables of a free market; the nation needs reliable oil, it needs to be churning out nails and screws and bullets, so the government grabs the means of producing these things to ensure nothing stops that kind of output or operation.That more holistic reworking of a nation's economy so that it reflects some kind of socialist setup is typically referred to as socialization, though commentary on the matter will still often refer to the individual instances of the government taking ownership over something that was previously private as nationalization.In other cases these sorts of assets are nationalized in order to right some kind of perceived wrong, as was the case when the French government, in the wake of WWII, nationalized the automobile company Renault for its alleged collaboration with the Nazis when they occupied France.The circumstances of that nationalization were questioned, as there was a lot of political scuffling between capitalist and communist interests in the country at that time, and some saw this as a means of getting back against the company's owner, Louis Renault, for his recent, violent actions against workers who had gone on strike before France's occupation—but whatever the details, France scooped up Renault and turned it into a state-owned company, and in 1994, the government decided that its ownership of the company was keeping its products from competing on the market, and in 1996 it was privatized and they started selling public shares, though the French government still owns about 15% of the company.Nationalization is more common in some non-socialist nations than others, as there are generally considered to be significant pros and cons associated with such ownership.The major benefit of such ownership is that a government owned, or partially government owned entity will tend to have the government on its side to a greater or lesser degree, which can make it more competitive internationally, in the sense that laws will be passed to help it flourish and grow, and it may even benefit from direct infusions of money, when needed, especially with international competition heats up, and because it generally allows that company to operate as a piece of government infrastructure, rather than just a normal business.Instead of being completely prone to the winds of economic fortune, then, the US government can ensure that Amtrak, a primarily state-owned train company that's structured as a for-profit business, but which has a government-appointed board and benefits from federal funding, is able to keep functioning, even when demand for train services is low, and barbarians at the gate, like plane-based cargo shipping and passenger hauling, becomes a lot more competitive, maybe even to the point that a non-government-owned entity may have long-since gone under, or dramatically reduced its service area, by economic necessity.A major downside often cited by free-market people, though, is that these sorts of companies tend to do poorly, in terms of providing the best possible service, and in terms of making enough money to pay for themselves—services like Amtrak are structured so that they pay as much of their own expenses as much as possible, for instance, but are seldom able to do so, requiring injections of resources from the government to stay afloat, and as a result, they have trouble updating and even maintaining their infrastructure.Private companies tend to be a lot more agile and competitive because they have to be, and because they often have leadership that is less political in nature, and more oriented around doing better than their also private competition, rather than merely surviving.What I'd like to talk about today is another vital industry that seems to have become so vital, like trains, that the US government is keen to ensure it doesn't go under, and a stake that the US government took in one of its most historically significant, but recently struggling companies.—The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 was a law passed by the US government after the initial whammy of the Great Recession, which created a bunch of bailouts for mostly financial institutions that, if they went under, it was suspected, would have caused even more damage to the US economy.These banks had been playing fast and loose with toxic assets for a while, filling their pockets with money, but doing so in a precarious and unsustainable manner.As a result, when it became clear these assets were terrible, the dominos started falling, all these institutions started going under, and the government realized that they would either lose a significant portion of their banks and other financial institutions, or they'd have to bail them out—give them money, basically.Which wasn't a popular solution, as it looked a lot like rewarding bad behavior, and making some businesses, private businesses, too big to fail, because the country's economy relied on them to some degree. But that's the decision the government made, and some of these institutions, like Goldman Sachs, had their toxic assets bought by the government, removing these things from their balance sheets so they could keep operating as normal. Others declared bankruptcy and were placed under government control, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were previously government supported, but not government run.The American International Group, the fifth largest insurer in the world at that point, was bought by the US government—it took 92% of the company in exchange for $141.8 billion in assistance, to help it stay afloat—and General Motors, not a financial institution, but a car company that was deemed vital to the continued existence of the US auto market, went bankrupt, the fourth largest bankruptcy in US history. The government allowed its assets to be bought by a new company, also called GM, which would then function as normal, which allowed the company to keep operating, employees to keep being paid, and so on, but as part of that process, the company was given a total of $51 billion by the government, which took a majority stake in the new company in exchange.In late-2013, the US government sold its final shares of GM stock, having lost about $10.7 billion over the course of that ownership, though it's estimated that about 1.5 million jobs were saved as a result of keeping GM and Chrysler, which went through a similar process, afloat, rather than letting them go under, as some people would have preferred.In mid-August of this year, the US government took another stake in a big, historically significant company, though this time the company in question wasn't going through a recession-sparked bankruptcy—it was just falling way behind its competition, and was looking less and less likely to ever catch up.Intel was founded 1968, and it designs, produces, and sells all sorts of semiconductor products, like the microprocessors—the computer chips—that power all sorts of things, these days.Intel created the world's first commercial computer chip back in 1971, and in the 1990s, its products were in basically every computer that hit the market, its range and dominance expanding with the range and dominance of Microsoft's Windows operating system, achieving a market share of about 90% in the mid- to late-1990s.Beginning in the early 2000s, though, other competitors, like AMD, began to chip away at Intel's dominance, and though it still boasts a CPU market share of around 67% as of Q2 of 2025, it has fallen way behind competitors like Nvidia in the graphics card market, and behind Samsung in the larger semiconductor market.And that's a problem for Intel, as while CPUs are still important, the overall computing-things, high-tech gadget space has been shifting toward stuff that Intel doesn't make, or doesn't do well.Smaller things, graphics-intensive things. Basically all the hardware that's powered the gaming, crypto, and AI markets, alongside the stuff crammed into increasingly small personal devices, are things that Intel just isn't very good at, and doesn't seem to have a solid means of getting better at, so it's a sort of aging giant in the computer world—still big and impressive, but with an outlook that keeps getting worse and worse, with each new generation of hardware, and each new innovation that seems to require stuff it doesn't produce, or doesn't produce good versions of.This is why, despite being a very unusual move, the US government's decision to buy a 10% stake in Intel for $8.9 billion didn't come as a total surprise.The CEO of Intel had been raising the possibility of some kind of bailout, positioning Intel as a vital US asset, similar to all those banks and to GM—if it went under, it would mean the US losing a vital piece of the global semiconductor pie. The government already gave Intel $2.2 billion as part of the CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law under the Biden administration, and which was meant to shore-up US competitiveness in that space, but that was a freebie—this new injection of resources wasn't free.Response to this move has been mixed. Some analysts think President Trump's penchant for netting the government shares in companies it does stuff for—as was the case with US Steel giving the US government a so-called ‘golden share' of its company in exchange for allowing the company to merge with Japan-based Nippon Steel, that share granting a small degree of governance authority within the company—they think that sort of quid-pro-quo is smart, as in some cases it may result in profits for a government that's increasingly underwater in terms of debt, and in others it gives some authority over future decisions, giving the government more levers to use, beyond legal ones, in steering these vital companies the way it wants to steer them.Others are concerned about this turn of events, though, as it seems, theoretically at least, anti-competitive. After all, if the US government profits when Intel does well, now that it owns a huge chunk of the company, doesn't that incentivize the government to pass laws that favor Intel over its competitors? And even if the government doesn't do anything like that overtly, doesn't that create a sort of chilling effect on the market, making it less likely serious competitors will even emerge, because investors might be too spooked to invest in something that would be going up against a partially government-owned entity?There are still questions about the legality of this move, as it may be that the CHIPS Act doesn't allow the US government to convert grants into equity, and it may be that shareholders will find other ways to rebel against the seeming high-pressure tactics from the White House, which included threats by Trump to force the firing of its CEO, in part by withholding some of the company's federal grants, if he didn't agree to giving the government a portion of the company in exchange for assistance.This also raises the prospect that Intel, like those other bailed-out companies, has become de facto too big to fail, which could lead to stagnation in the company, especially if the White House goes further in putting its thumb on the scale, forcing more companies, in the US and elsewhere, to do business with the company, despite its often uncompetitive offerings.While there's a chance that Intel takes this influx of resources and support and runs with it, catching up to competitors that have left it in the dust and rebuilding itself into something a lot more internationally competitive, then, there's also the chance that it continues to flail, but for much longer than it would have, otherwise, because of that artificial support and government backing.Show Noteshttps://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/did-trump-save-intel-not-really-2025-08-23/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/business/trump-intel-us-steel-nvidia.htmlhttps://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/intel-agrees-to-sell-the-us-a-10-stake-trump-says-hyping-great-deal/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_Chapter_11_reorganizationhttps://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/08/government-financial-bailout.asphttps://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/amds-desktop-pc-market-share-hits-a-new-high-as-server-gains-slow-down-intel-now-only-outsells-amd-2-1-down-from-9-1-a-few-years-agohttps://www.spglobal.com/commodity-insights/en/news-research/latest-news/metals/062625-in-rare-deal-for-us-government-owns-a-piece-of-us-steelhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaulthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State-owned_enterprises_of_the_United_Stateshttps://247wallst.com/special-report/2021/04/07/businesses-run-by-the-us-government/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalizationhttps://www.amtrak.com/stakeholder-faqshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_Chapter_11_reorganization This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

For the first time in over a decade, real change is reshaping the housing market. Prices, inventory, and affordability are shifting in ways that could finally give first-time buyers a new opportunity.In this episode, David Sidoni delivers a data-packed breakdown of the biggest housing market change in 17 years. After years of historically low inventory, rising prices, and brutal bidding wars, 2025 is bringing something different: falling prices in many metros, improving affordability, and a rare increase in available homes.David explains why this isn't a crash, but a shift toward semi-normal conditions — and how you can use this to your advantage. With most experts predicting 2–4% appreciation in 2025, smart buyers who act early can secure homes before the public catches on.This is part one of a three-part market update series designed to help you build a winning 2025–2026 strategy.Quote“For the first time in 17 years, inventory is actually improving — and that changes everything.”HighlightsWhy home prices are actually falling in many metros.The surprising percentage of listings with price cuts this summer.How builders are slashing prices and narrowing the gap with resale homes.What most experts really predict for home values in 2025.How first-time buyers can take advantage of this rare shift.Sources: Zillow, Redfin, Goldman Sachs, Housing Wire, Ris Media, US News, Bloomberg, The National Association of REALTORS®, Realtor.com, Homes.com, Zelman & Associates, Brian Buffini and other housing economists, The Mortgage Bankers Association, U.S. Census Bureau, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, financial Samurai, Moody's, Inman, US News, Apollo Global, Wells Fargo, and the National Association of Home Builders.Connect with me to find a trusted realtor in your area or to answer your burning questions!Subscribe to our YouTube Channel @HowToBuyaHomeInstagram @HowtoBuyAHomePodcastTik Tok @HowToBuyAHomeVisit our Resource Center to "Ask David" AND get your FREE Home Buying Starter Kit!David Sidoni, the "How to Buy a Home Guy," is a seasoned real estate professional and consumer advocate with two decades of experience helping first-time homebuyers navigate the real estate market. His podcast, "How to Buy a Home," is a trusted resource for anyone looking to buy their first home. It offers expert advice, actionable tips, and inspiring stories from real first-time homebuyers. With a focus on making the home-buying process accessible and understandable, David breaks down complex topics into easy-to-follow steps, covering everything from budgeting and financing to finding the right home and making an offer. Subscribe for regular market updates, and leave a review to help us reach more people. Ready for an honest, informed home-buying experience? Viva la Unicorn Revolution - join us!This is one part of a 3 part series highlighting the most significant housing market shift since this podcast began in 2019. Check out the podcast library for the full series for a complete update.

An article in the Wall Street Journal suggests that Florida's property insurance market is inherently flawed and financially shaky, under the review of a smaller ratings company.  It cites the 12 insurance company insolvencies between 2019 and 2023 in a market painted as over-reliant on reinsurance. Former Florida Deputy Insurance Commissioner Lisa Miller sits down with Demotech President & CEO Joe Petrelli and former Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty to explain the unique nature of Florida's market, how financial ratings of insurance companies are formulated, the critical role of reinsurance, the confusion between rate and premium, and the real reasons behind those insolvencies.Show Notes  (For full Show Notes, visit https://lisamillerassociates.com/episode-59-how-secure-is-floridas-property-insurance-market/) Host Miller discussed the evolution of Florida's property insurance market following 1992's Hurricane Andrew, highlighting the departure of large insurers and the rise of smaller, regional companies that still make up most of today's market.  Miller, an employee of the then Department of Insurance, said “large legacy insurance companies left our state altogether, saying the risk exposure was just too great.  Likewise, after 2017's Hurricane Irma, other companies stopped writing new policies.”  Florida's Unique MarketMiller noted that the state's property insurance market has adapted over the ensuing 33 years to continue to provide needed insurance “for what's become one of the riskiest places on earth to insure.  It has unique challenges that have prompted innovative solutions.”  One of those solutions was Demotech, a Columbus, Ohio-based actuarial firm that provided ratings for Florida's new regional companies when other ratings companies would not.  Demotech's RoleDemotech President Joe Petrelli said its specialty in reviewing and assigning Financial Stability Ratings (FSRs) for independent regional carriers was born of the need of federal mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 1988, who together own or insure a substantial number of home mortgages nationwide.  They vetted Demotech's ratings methodology and today, the firm provides FSRs for most of the 55 Florida based property insurance companies, including some of the recent 14 carriers who've entered the market since the Florida Legislature's 2022-2023 litigation and consumer protection reforms.  Now in its 40th year, Demotech rates insurance companies across the nation that write billions of dollars of premiums.“We look at carriers independent of their size.  We look at them based on their business model, the execution of that business model, and the complementary nature of their reinsurance program,” said Petrelli.  “So I think that's what makes us unique.  I think when we look at catastrophe prone areas, whether it's wind, fire, tornado, hail, earthquake, what we're looking at is, does your reinsurance program give you the claims paying ability that you need?”  (For full Show Notes, visit https://lisamillerassociates.com/episode-59-how-secure-is-floridas-property-insurance-market/) 

On this episode of Go Gaddis Real Estate Radio, we unpack billionaire investor Bill Ackman's bold new idea: merging Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into one giant “mortgage super-company.” What would this mean for homeowners, buyers, and the U.S. housing market? I'll walk you through the history of Fannie and Freddie—from their origins in the Great Depression and the 1970s, through the $191 billion bailout during the 2008 financial crisis, to today where they still back roughly half of all U.S. mortgages. We'll explore why Ackman believes combining them could lower costs, streamline oversight, and potentially cut mortgage rates for everyday borrowers. But it's not all upside. Could putting so much power into one company create a massive single point of failure? Would an IPO truly help taxpayers—or just Wall Street investors? And what political battles stand in the way of reform? If you're thinking about buying, selling, or refinancing, this discussion matters. Even a small change in mortgage rates can save—or cost—you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of a loan. Tune in to hear my take on what this proposed merger could mean for Metro Atlanta homeowners, buyers, and the future of housing in America. And don't miss our next segment, where we break down contingent offers—how they work and when they might be the key to making your next move.

If you have a loan, then the latest episode of Making Cents of Money is for you! Learn how loan servicers play a key role in borrowers' financial lives and more! Show Notes: Government and Agency Reports: • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (2024, Apr 3). What happens if my loan servicer changes? Retrieved from https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-happens-if-the-company-that-i-send-my-mortgage-payments-to-changes-en-215/ • U.S. Department of Education. (2023). Loan servicing information. Retrieved from https://studentaid.gov Laws and Regulations: • Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), 12 U.S.C. §§ 2601-2617. • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (n.d.). Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). Retrieved from https://www.consumerfinance.gov/compliance/compliance-resources/mortgage-resources/real-estate-settlement-procedures-act/ • Truth in Lending Act (TILA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 1601-1667f. • Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (n.d.). 12 CFR Part 1026 – Truth in Lending (Regulation Z). Retrieved from https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1026/ Web Resources: • Federal Trade Commission. (n.d.). Your rights when paying your mortgage. Retrieved from https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/your-rights-when-paying-your-mortgage • Federal Housing Finance Agency. (n.d.). About Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac. Retrieved from https://www.fhfa.gov/about/fannie-mae-freddie-mac Student Loans: • Federal Student Aid. (n.d.). Who's my student loan servicer? Retrieved from https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/servicers • University of Illinois System Student Money Management Center (n.d.). Student loans. Retrieved from https://www.studentmoney.uillinois.edu/learn/studentloans • Student Loan Management #GetSavvy webinar recording on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_9duc7kvTqg?feature=shared

Ryan Dobratz stops by to discuss various aspects of the real estate market, primarily focusing on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The discussion touches on the political implications surrounding Freddie and Fannie, as well as trends in the residential housing market and manufactured housing policies. Weaved into the conversation is interest rates, CPI, and the impact of AI on industrial real estate. TakeawaysThe real estate market is currently experiencing a divergence in performance across different sectors.Interest rates and CPI are critical factors influencing the real estate market.AI is expected to drive efficiencies in industrial real estate logistics.Freddie and Fannie are facing political and market pressures as they consider exiting conservatorship.Preferred shares in Freddie and Fannie present a compelling investment opportunity despite capped returns.The residential housing market is showing signs of recovery, particularly in new home construction.Manufactured housing is gaining attention due to affordability concerns and potential policy changes.The timber market is facing challenges but has potential upside due to supply constraints.Investors should be cautious about the political landscape affecting Freddie and Fannie.Overall, the real estate sector offers various investment opportunities, but careful selection is necessary.

Join Our FREE Start Repairing Credit Challenge: http://startrepairingcredit.com/   What if I told you that the biggest reason your clients aren't getting approved for mortgages isn't their debt or income, but an outdated credit scoring system?For decades, if your clients wanted a mortgage backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, they had to pass the classic FICO test. No exceptions. It didn't matter if they'd paid their rent on time for 10 years or if their utility bills were flawless. If it wasn't in the FICO model, it didn't count.But now, for the first time ever, lenders can choose between two models: FICO or VantageScore 4.0. This game-changing shift is finally breaking FICO's decades-long monopoly and giving your clients a chance to score a home, maybe for the first time in their lives.In today's episode, I'm breaking down the advantages of VantageScore 4.0 and showing you how you can capitalize on this change to scale your credit repair business.Tune in! Key Takeaways:00:00 Intro 00:57 The FICO Test vs. VantageScore 4.002:07 Business Opportunity for Credit Heroes03:13 Historical Context and Significance of FICO04:55 Challenges in Adopting VantageScore 4.006:10 My Final Thoughts 06:52 Outro  Additional Resources:Get a free trial to Credit Repair CloudGet my free credit repair training  5 Possible Reasons and How to Fix ThemMake sure to subscribe so you stay up to date with our latest episodes.

While near-term interest cuts will not be deep enough to rescue troubled or financially distressed multifamily borrowers, if the Fed signals a shift to a less restrictive/elevated interest rate regime, the growing amount of investors re-entering the multifamily market will very quickly accelerate.Link to sources discussed in this episode:Bureau of Labor Statistics: “July 2025 Consumer Price Index: All Items Steady at 2.7% YoY Increase, Core up from 2.9 to 3.1% YoY Increase” Marcus & Millichap: “The Forces Driving Interest Rates Lower – Will They Last?” - https://www.marcusmillichap.com/research/videos/the-forces-driving-interest-rates-lower-will-they-lastRealtor.com: “Trump Plans IPO for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in Late 2025, Report Claims” - https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/trump-freddie-mac-fannie-mae-ipo/Newmark: “2Q25 State of the U.S. Capital Markets: Sales Activity Increasing, but Loan Maturities Dampen the Excitement” - https://www.nmrk.com/insights/market-report/2q25-state-of-u-s-capital-marketsCRED iQ: “CMBS Distress Rate Adds 32 BPS as the Seesaw Effect Plays Out in CMBS” - https://cred-iq.com/blog/2025/08/07/cmbs-distress-rate-adds-32-bps-as-the-seesaw-effect-plays-out-in-cmbs/Trepp: “Special Servicing Rate Retreats Slightly in July, After Three Consecutive Monthly Increases” - https://www.trepp.com/trepptalk/special-servicing-rate-retreats-slightly-in-july-2025RealPage: “U.S. Apartment Construction Activity at a Decade Low” - https://www.realpage.com/analytics/apartment-construction-decade-low/Learn more about Gray Capital's latest multifamily investment opportunity: https://www.graycapitalllc.com/invest-in-flats Download Gray Capital's latest report: ⁠https://www.graycapitalllc.com/future Sign up for our free multifamily newsletter here: ⁠https://www.graycapitalllc.com/newsletter⁠ DISCLAIMERS: This podcast does not constitute professional financial advice and is for educational/entertainment purposes only. This podcast is not an offer to invest. Any offering would be made through a private placement memorandum and would be limited to accredited investors.

D.O. deep dives into the proposed privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, offering a balanced look at why this move is being considered, what it could mean for mortgage rates and access to credit, the financial implications for taxpayers and investors, and why both excitement and caution are warranted. 

Today, Nicole shares the biggest headlines on Wall Street and how they will affect you and your wallet. In this episode, she unpacks what's at stake with the potential IPO of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, why electricity prices are going up and good news on interest rates. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any financial decisions or investments. All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Brokerage services for US-listed, registered securities, options and bonds in a self-directed account are offered by Public Investing, Inc., member FINRA & SIPC. As part of the IRA Match Program, Public Investing will fund a 1% match of: (a) all eligible IRA transfers and 401(k) rollovers made to a Public IRA; and (b) all eligible contributions made to a Public IRA up to the account's annual contribution limit. The matched funds must be kept in the account for at least 5 years to avoid an early removal fee. Match rate and other terms of the Match Program are subject to change at any time. See full terms ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1890144), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC.  *APY as of 6/30/25, offered by Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Rate subject to change. See terms of IRA Match Program here: public.com/disclosures/ira-match.

Episode 645: Neal and Toby chat about the Trump administration preparing an IPO of mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae that could raise $30B. Then, Instagram releases a new feature that can show the location of your friends…and people aren't happy about it. Also, Sweetgreen continues to struggle to bring customers in and is trying to switch its focus away from greens to proteins. Meanwhile, AOL is finally discontinuing its service which begs the question…how did it last this long? And Bed Bath & Beyond is mounting a comeback with its first store in Nashville since its bankruptcy.  LinkedIn will even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign so you can try it yourself. Check out LinkedIn.com/mbd for more. Submit your MBD Password answer here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Yzrl1BJY2FAFwXBYtb0CEp8XQB2Y6mLdHkbq9Kb2Sz8/viewform?edit_requested=true Subscribe to Morning Brew Daily for more of the news you need to start your day. Share the show with a friend, and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app. Listen to Morning Brew Daily Here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.swap.fm/l/mbd-note⁠⁠⁠  Watch Morning Brew Daily Here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@MorningBrewDailyShow⁠ Check out Per My Last Email! Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/show/0nLoZjMIpr7AhG61xsZlWs?si=83e893071dd44696  YT link: https://youtube.com/@permylastemailshow?si=aMa5d8vjKlFdeZlb  Show page: https://www.permylastemailshow.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Headlines: Trump's rolling out the red carpet for Putin on Friday — the first U.S. invite outside the UN since 2007 — with no Ukraine concessions, just Putin demanding eastern Ukraine in exchange for “ending” the war (and no guarantee he wouldn't restart it). Zelensky responded by saying that would be against Ukraine's constitution. Meanwhile, NASA's in a tight race with China and Russia to land a nuclear reactor on the Moon's resource-rich South Pole by 2030. In Atlanta, a gunman killed a police officer near the CDC before dying in a CVS shootout; authorities suspect COVID vaccine conspiracy motives. The FBI fired at least three senior officials tied to Jan. 6 and Trump ally cases, while Trump axed the IRS commissioner and sent him to Iceland. Trump also hid Obama's and both Bushes' portraits in a stairwell, wants to merge Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under ticker “MAGA,” and is eyeing billions from a gov stake sale. Vegas visitor numbers are down 11% this year, with international tourism spending in the U.S. projected to drop $12.5 billion. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: WaPo; Russians cheer Putin's Alaska invitation, envision no concessions on Ukraine  WIRED: Why the US Is Racing to Build a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon  CNN: CDC leaders call shooting targeted and deliberate as rattled staff say they felt like ‘sitting ducks' WaPo: FBI fires former acting head, two other officials at odds with Trump administration NBC News: Trump removes IRS boss, Treasury Secretary Bessent takes over for now CNN: Trump moves Obama, Bush portraits to hidden stairwell Axios: Trump suggests "MAGA" stock listing for mortgage giants Fannie, Freddie Axios: Sin City tourism slump signals wider economic slowdown Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Post - https://bahnsen.co/4lkaas5 Monday Market Rundown & Economic Insights - Dividend Cafe with David Bahnsen In this Monday edition of the Dividend Cafe, David Bahnsen from The Bahnsen Group provides a comprehensive market update and economic analysis. Key topics include Nvidia's significant market impact, President Trump's upcoming meeting with Vladimir Putin, and developments in the semiconductor tariffs with China. The episode also covers the overall performance of major market indices, notable policy changes, and the state of the housing market and Federal Reserve actions. Additionally, Boson addresses recent market dynamics, including the tariff delays on China and potential privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A discussion on Steven Miran's nomination to the Federal Reserve and the likelihood of upcoming interest rate cuts rounds out the update. Boson concludes by sharing insights into his favorite economists in response to viewer questions. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 01:18 Market Rundown and Economic Analysis 01:40 Nvidia and Semiconductor News 02:52 Market Performance and Indices 06:16 Policy Announcements and Tariffs 07:55 Housing Sector and Federal Reserve 10:57 Conclusion and Favorite Economists Links mentioned in this episode: DividendCafe.com TheBahnsenGroup.com

P.M. Edition for Aug. 8. In an exclusive, we're reporting that the Trump administration is preparing an IPO for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac later this year, which it estimates could raise $30 billion. But WSJ capital markets reporter Corrie Driebusch says that key questions remain—including whether the companies will remain under government conservatorship. Plus, gold futures briefly surpassed a 45-year record before paring gains after the White House said it would clarify tariffs on gold. And nicotine is in, beer is out: What Americans' changing vices mean for the companies behind the goods, and their stock prices. WSJ reporter Laura Cooper discusses how the companies are responding. Alex Ossola hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Gold hits new high as market is rattled by unexpected news that U.S. tariffs will apply to gold bars. And thousands are forced to evacuate due to L.A. County wildfires. Zoe Kuhlkin hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House says it will clarify new levies on gold. Plus, the Trump administration is preparing to sell stock in mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Anthony Bansie hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's livestream, we discuss market momentum with ETH nearing $4K, and notable BTC–gaming stock correlations. We also dive into Pendle's launch of Boros, and what it brings to the market. Finally, we examine digital asset treasury companies, IPO/ICO trends, tokenized pre-IPO trading, and Coinbase's DEX trading rollout. Thanks for tuning in! As always, remember this podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely their opinions, not financial advice. -- Bitcoin DeFi is heating up on Aptos, the BTCFi growth chain with nearly $400M in BTC assets supported by a secure, fast, and affordable MVM environment. Aptos users can acquire, hold, and earn attractive BTCFi yields via Echo aBTC and OKX xBTC, without typical bridge risks and high fees.  Explore BTC yield opportunities on Aptos via OKX Earn and Aptos-native platforms https://web3.okx.com/earn/activity/xbtc-aptos  -- Accelerate your app development on Algorand with AlgoKit 3.0—now with native TypeScript and Python support, visual debugging, and seamless testing. Build, test, and deploy smarter with tools designed for speed and simplicity. Start building with AlgoKit today: https://algorand.co/algokit?utm_source=blockworkspodcast&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=algokit3&utm_id=algokit3&utm_term=algokit3 -- Follow Carlos: https://x.com/0xcarlosg Follow Luke: https://x.com/0xMether Follow Marc: https://x.com/marcarjoon Follow Danny: https://x.com/defi_kay_ Follow Blockworks Research: https://x.com/blockworksres Subscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3foDS38 Subscribe on Apple: https://apple.co/3SNhUEt Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3NlP1hA Get top market insights and the latest in crypto news. Subscribe to Blockworks Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/ Join the 0xResearch Telegram group: https://t.me/+z0H6y2bS-dllODVh -- Timestamps: (0:00) Introduction (1:36) Come to DAS London (5:04) Market Overview (12:54) Aptos Ad (13:28) Pendle Launches Boros (39:30) Ads (Aptos & Algorand) (40:43) Digital Asset Treasuries (56:53) Trump Plans to IPO Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (1:07:53) Coinbase Rollsout DEX Trading -- Check out Blockworks Research today! Research, data, governance, tokenomics, and models – now, all in one place Blockworks Research: https://www.blockworksresearch.com/ Free Daily Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on 0xResearch is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Boccaccio, Danny, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.

US equity futures are firmer. Asia mostly advanced, and European markets opened higher. Markets responded positively to Trump's planned carve-out from the 100% chip tariff, which exempts companies investing in US capacity. Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on India over Russian oil purchases and raised the possibility of secondary sanctions on China. ECB economic bulletin and BoE rate decision in focus, with the latter expected to deliver a cautious 25 bp cut amid elevated inflation. Geopolitically, Trump said very good chance he would meet with Putin and Zelenskiy soon to broker peace. Companies Mentioned: Apple, New World Development, Blackstone, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

Becca and Rob from AnchorWatch join Preston to unpack the future of Bitcoin custody and insurance. They explore multisig security, time-locked vaults, inheritance planning, insured yield products, and how institutional players like banks and insurers are adopting crypto through innovative custody models, convertible debt strategies, and reinsurance collaborations. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN: 00:00 - Intro 09:26 - How AnchorWatch uses Miniscript and multisig for Bitcoin custody 15:20 - Why Bitcoin is gaining traction in institutional asset management 19:07 - AnchorWatch's approach to inheritance and asset protection 27:05 - What Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's crypto guidance means for lending 39:51 - How Bitcoin custody is evolving to resemble traditional banking 40:28 - How insurance firms are gaining Bitcoin exposure via convertible debt 45:22 - The potential for Bitcoin-denominated insurance products 46:05 - AnchorWatch's collaboration with institutional partners like Allianz 47:07 - Yield opportunities in insured Bitcoin pools Disclaimer: Slight discrepancies in the timestamps may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Website: AnchorWatch. X Account: Rob Hamilton. X Account: Becca Rubenfeld. Check out all the books mentioned and discussed in our podcast episodes ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠Premium Feed⁠⁠⁠⁠. NEW TO THE SHOW? Join the exclusive ⁠⁠⁠TIP Mastermind Community⁠⁠⁠ to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Stig, Clay, Kyle, and the other community members. Follow our official social media accounts: ⁠⁠⁠X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ | | ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠. Check out our ⁠⁠⁠Bitcoin Fundamentals Starter Packs⁠⁠⁠. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠. Try our tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: ⁠⁠⁠TIP Finance Tool⁠⁠⁠. Enjoy exclusive perks from our ⁠⁠⁠favorite Apps and Services⁠⁠⁠. Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, ⁠⁠⁠The Intrinsic Value Newsletter⁠⁠⁠. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the ⁠⁠⁠best business podcasts⁠⁠⁠. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our ⁠⁠⁠sponsors⁠⁠⁠: SimpleMining Hardblock AnchorWatch Human Rights Foundation Cape Unchained Vanta Shopify Onramp Abundant Mines Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm

Welcome to The Chrisman Commentary, your go-to daily mortgage news podcast, where industry insights meet expert analysis. Hosted by Robbie Chrisman, this podcast delivers the latest updates on mortgage rates, capital markets, and the forces shaping the housing finance landscape. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just looking to stay informed, you'll get clear, concise breakdowns of market trends and economic shifts that impact the mortgage world.In today's episode, we review why two members of the Fed dissented against holding rates steady. Plus, Robbie sits down with nCino's Tyler Prows for a discussion on how automated workflows provide a seamless experience for the borrowers and streamlined app intake for LOs in an end-to-end solution. And we close by looking at Freddie Mac's second quarter earnings.Today's podcast is brought to you by nCino, makers of the nCino Mortgage Suite for the modern mortgage lender. nCino Mortgage Suite's three core products -- nCino Mortgage, nCino Incentive Compensation, and nCino Mortgage Analytics -- unite the people, systems, and stages of the mortgage process into a seamless end-to-end solution embedded with data-driven insights and intelligent automation. See how nCino can support a homeownership journey that your borrowers and your team will love at nCino.com.

On this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, Aaron and James break down the return of 100% bonus depreciation for short-term rental investors, now made permanent under the new tax bill. They explain how this powerful tax strategy—often called the "STR loophole"—allows qualifying investors to accelerate depreciation deductions and offset their W2 income, potentially saving tens of thousands of dollars annually. Using real-world examples, they walk through the three key steps to implement this strategy and discuss why it's exclusive to STRs versus traditional long-term rentals. The hosts also explore a significant shift in mortgage lending: how the Federal Housing Finance Agency is directing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to include cryptocurrency assets in loan qualification processes. Drawing from recent industry reports showing 5.4% of homebuyers now sell crypto for down payments, they discuss the implications of treating volatile digital assets similarly to tech stocks in mortgage underwriting, while weighing the benefits for younger buyers against potential risks to financial stability. Reach Out:  Interested in consulting with Erin? Email erin@erinspradlin.com  Work with James: James@JamesCarlsonRe.com Also in this episode: Why bonus depreciation works for STRs but not traditional rentals (hint: it's about active vs. passive income) The difference between cost segregation studies and 100% bonus depreciation Real example of a Miami buyer who lost 12% of his crypto value during forced liquidation How crypto reserves compare to stock holdings in mortgage qualification The tension between supporting small business investors and addressing housing affordability Whether you're a high-income earner looking for tax relief, an STR investor wanting to maximize deductions, or curious about how cryptocurrency is changing real estate financing, this episode provides the insights you need. The hosts remind listeners that while they may have political reservations about some tax policies, understanding and legally utilizing available strategies remains important for individual financial success. Subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on YouTube and Spotify for weekly real estate education content.

Is the multifamily market heading for trouble? In this How-To episode, Gino Barbaro (co-founder of Jake & Gino) dives into the rising delinquency rates reported by Freddie Mac and unpacks the reasons behind this multifamily shakeup. From floating rate debt to tenant affordability and operating cost pressures, Gino explores how we got here and what investors can do now to survive—and thrive—through the downturn.Download your FREE copy of Wheelbarrow Profits:Email Gino directly at gino@jakeandgino.com to get your free PDF.Visit https://wheelbarrowprofits.com to schedule a call and learn how the 3-step framework can work for you. We're here to help create multifamily entrepreneurs... Here's how: Brand New? Start Here: https://jakeandgino.mykajabi.com/free-wheelbarrowprofits Want To Get Into Multifamily Real Estate Or Scale Your Current Portfolio Faster? Apply to join our PREMIER MULTIFAMILY INVESTING COMMUNITY & MENTORSHIP PROGRAM. (*Note: Our community is not for beginner investors)

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger Picture Trump is now countering China, he is starting up US rare-earth mines to compete. Inflation expectations are now falling. People are starting to realize Trump's plan is working and the fake news and the Fed lie. The Fed will not allow the Trump team to tour the Fed, the Fed released a virtual tour. Trump and Bessent do not know wha the Fed does. The [DS] are going their best to spin the latest declassified information on the Russian hoax. The fake news and D's will spin it to cover their crimes. Trump will then release more information that will destroy the spin and show they are covering up their crimes. The coverup always gets you in the end. Barack Obama is the real Manchurian candidate and he is being exposed, he committed treason against the US more than once with the help of many other people. Justice is coming.   Economy New Rare-Earth Mine in Wyoming Challenges China's Dominance   The first new U.S. rare-earth mine in 70 years broke ground this month in Wyoming. Ramaco Brook Mine, which contains 1.7 million tons of rare earth minerals, is a “groundbreaking discovery” that “marks a turning point for America,” the Department of Energy announced. According to a press release from Ramaco, the company that owns the mine, “[t]he Brook Mine project represents a strategic milestone in the nation's efforts to reduce foreign reliance on critical minerals essential to defense, technology, and clean energy.” Currently, China provides almost 90% of rare-earth minerals in the world. Source: dailysignal.com   (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); https://twitter.com/AlvaApp/status/1947707128007037044   metric now sits below its March 2022 peak of 5.4% Furthermore, 5-year inflation expectations have fallen 0.8 percentage points over the last 3 months, to 3.6%, the lowest since March. However, long-term expectations remain above the average levels recorded over the last 30 years. Containing inflation must remain a top economic priority.  What Are They Hiding? Fed Declines Trump Official Request For On Site Visit to Tour Building Renovations, Releases ‘Virtual Site Visit'  Fed Chair Jerome Powell pulled another shady stunt after Trump officials requested a tour of the so-called $2.5 billion in building ‘renovations.' On Friday Chairman of the Board of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Bill Pulte, revealed Jerome Powell offered a tour of the renovations on Friday night when no one was there.  Trump officials were declined a request for an on site visit to tour the building renovations and instead were given a “virtual site visit.” “Instead of granting us our site visit, the Fed today released a “virtual site visit” video,” Trump White House official James Blair said. “What do they not want us to see?” https://twitter.com/JamesBlairUSA/status/1947420186329420006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1947420186329420006%7Ctwgr%5Ee495d077f6efe35a49498e30734ae0a7839ce427%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2025%2F07%2Fwhat-are-they-hiding-fed-declines-trump-official%2F . Source: thegatewaypundit.com https://twitter.

In part one of Red Eye Radio with Gary McNamara and Eric Harley, how the media writes their headlines / Trump defends Attorney General Bondi amid MAGA Epstein criticsm / Trump says he is considering revoking Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship / Mark Cuban calls for Border Czar Homan to put out a top 100 illegal criminals list / California Governor is getting blasted for his comments on the ICE raid on the marijuana farm / The State Department cuts / A commie commie Mayor Mamdani update / Trump's proposal to reinvirgorate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. For more talk on the issues that matter to you, listen on radio stations across America Monday-Friday 12am-5am CT (1am-6am ET and 10pm-3am PT), download the RED EYE RADIO SHOW app, asking your smart speaker, or listening at RedEyeRadioShow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New policies are shaking up both the rental and mortgage landscapes. In today's episode, we explore how pet-friendly rental listings can help landlords lease units faster and why nearly 60% of renters now have a pet. Then, we break down a major shift in mortgage underwriting: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will now allow lenders to use VantageScore 4.0, a move that could expand homeownership access and lower costs for millions. Whether you're a landlord, renter, or real estate investor, this episode has the insights you need to stay ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a busy time for food banks — without school breakfast and lunch programs, more families lean on them. But between millions of dollars slashed from the USDA budget and heightened deportation fears, it's a tougher-than-usual summer. In this episode, we visit Texas food banks with a simple goal: keep kids from going hungry. Plus, Trump wants to privatize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the cost of basic baby items is up 24% since new tariffs were imposed, and retail sales fell in May.Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.