Boyer Wealth Management

11/02/2026

Credit freezes and fraud alerts can both make it harder for someone to open new credit accounts in your name.

But they don’t work the same way.

A credit freeze limits access to your credit report. While it’s in place, no one can open a new credit account in your name, including you, unless you lift the freeze.

A fraud alert tells businesses to check with you before opening a new credit account in your name. There are different types, including initial fraud alerts, extended fraud alerts, and active-duty fraud alerts for service members.

The setup is different, too. To place a credit freeze, you contact all three credit bureaus. For an initial fraud alert, you only contact one bureau, and that bureau must tell the other two.

Both are free. Both can be useful. And both are worth understanding before something feels urgent.



Source
FTC Consumer Advice, 2026

10/30/2026

A teenager may not be thinking about credit yet.

That’s exactly the problem.

A child’s personal information can be valuable because it may sit unused for years. No credit card applications. No apartment checks. No loan paperwork. No obvious reason for anyone to notice something is wrong.

The FTC notes that children under 18 generally won’t have credit reports. If they do, it could be a sign of identity theft.

That makes this worth talking about before they’re filling out financial aid forms, opening first accounts, applying for jobs, or heading out on their own.

Not as a scary lecture. As a normal part of growing up financially.

Which details stay private?
Which forms matter?
Which links deserve suspicion?
Why is a Social Security number not just another school-form field?

Their credit history may not have started yet, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be damaged.



Source
FTC Consumer Advice, August 6, 2026

10/28/2026

Identity Theft Awareness Week is a good time to look twice at the details most people skim past.

A bill stops showing up.
A withdrawal looks unfamiliar.
A new account appears.
A charge doesn’t match anything you bought.

None of those are things to panic over on their own. But they are worth checking.

The FTC says bills that stop arriving, charges you don’t recognize, unfamiliar withdrawals, and unknown accounts on a credit report can all be signs that someone may be using your information.

A few regular habits can help: review statements, open account notices, check bills, and look through your credit reports for anything that doesn’t belong.

If something looks wrong, IdentityTheft.gov can help you report identity theft and find recovery steps.



Sources
FTC Consumer Advice, 2026
FTC Consumer Advice, 2026

10/26/2026

📌 Higher rates sting borrowers, but they can be a real win for savers.

As rates rise, banks may increase the yields they offer on savings products to attract deposits. The average U.S. savings account still pays just 0.64% annual percentage yield. Some high-yield accounts are paying more than six times that, up to 4.2%, for the exact same deposit.

🔎 Certificates of deposit, or CDs, can offer even higher rates, but the tradeoff is access: your money is locked in for a set term, and pulling it out early usually costs a penalty.

Higher yields don’t erase the effects of inflation, and they won’t necessarily transform household finances. But if your savings account is still earning close to that 0.64% average, that gap alone might be worth a second look.


Source:

The Federal Reserve recently raised interest rates for the first time since 2023.

10/23/2026

Why So Bearish?

10/21/2026

🏠 Higher mortgage rates are pushing some homebuyers to look for lower-cost alternatives.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.79%, while the average rate for a 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage fell to 5.94%.

That gap is drawing more attention to ARMs, which made up 8% of mortgage applications last week, their highest share in five weeks.

🔑 The tradeoff is that an ARM’s rate can change later, which means the lower initial rate may come with more uncertainty down the road.

For buyers comparing mortgage options, it’s worth looking beyond the starting rate and understanding how the loan could change over time.


Source:

Mortgage rates continue to rise, pushing some buyers to riskier, adjustable-rate loans in order to find savings. Rates are at the highest level since June 2025.

10/19/2026

August's inflation numbers came in below expectations, but prices are still rising faster than the Federal Reserve would like.

The Fed's preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, showed:

▪️Headline inflation: 3.4% annually, below the 3.7% forecast.
▪️Core inflation: 3.0% annually, excluding food and energy, compared with the 3.3% forecast.
▪️Monthly inflation: Headline prices rose 0.3%, while core prices increased 0.2%.

Meanwhile, consumer spending rose a stronger-than-expected 0.9% in August, despite personal income increasing by just 0.2%.

Both inflation measures remain above the Fed's 2% target, leaving policymakers to weigh persistent price pressures against continued consumer spending as they consider their next interest-rate decision.



Source:

The personal consumption expenditures price index was projected to show an annual gain of 3.7% on headline and 3.3% for core, according to the Dow Jones consensus.

10/16/2026

The Big Mac Index turns forty this year. Forty years old and still fun to explain at parties. Check out what this classic burger can tell us about the purchasing power of our dollar.

10/14/2026

A carton of milk 🥛. A set of golf clubs ⛳. A bottle of perfume 🌸. All three just got pricier to send north into Canada. 🍁

Canada's new tariffs on $20 billion in American goods took effect this week, ranging from 15 to 50 percent depending on the product.

It's the latest move in a trade dispute that's dragged on for more than a year between two of the world's largest trading partners.

The ripple effects won't directly affect most household budgets. But they're a reminder that global headlines and everyday costs are more connected than they seem.

That connection, and what it might mean for your own situation, is exactly the kind of thing we're keeping an eye on for you.


Source:

Canada's steep retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion in U.S. goods took effect just after midnight ET on Tuesday, deepening the trade war between the two countries.

10/12/2026

🌴 More Americans are deciding that enjoying life now matters just as much as making financial progress for later.

A recent SoFi survey found that 72% of Americans would be willing to make slower progress toward their financial goals so they can spend more time with family, travel more, and prioritize meaningful experiences.

That doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning long-term goals. In fact, 59% of respondents said enjoying life is how they define financial progress, compared with 27% who pointed to owning a home.

The challenge is finding a balance between what matters now and what matters later. ✈️ That can mean making room for a vacation, concert, or family event while still keeping an eye on retirement savings and debt.

But charge that trip to a credit card and carry a balance, and interest can turn a two-week memory into a much longer bill.

What does financial progress look like to you: reaching the next milestone, enjoying more of life now, or some mix of both?


Source:

SoFi found 72% of Americans are willing to make slower progress on financial goals to prioritize family, travel and meaningful experiences.