Spotting and stopping more sophisticated scams by Vanguard
In crossover scams, fraudsters combine common techniques to make their scheme more convincing and harder to detect. This article breaks down two common ones and how to protect yourself.
The big, bad bond market could derail Trump’s big, beautiful bill by Vox
The bond market gets an indirect vote when it comes to spending policy and climbing rates may be indicating the current bill being discussed increases the deficit too much. Higher yields make borrowing more expensive for the government and mortgage rates (and other loans) higher for individuals and businesses.
Wedding-Guest Financial Fatigue Is Real. Here’s How to Handle It by Bloomberg
The cover-your-plate rule is out, the relationship strength and what you can afford is a better approach.
May Employment: Good Enough by Wells Fargo
The May jobs report was on the softer side, but it was more of a caution sign than a flashing red light in our view. Today’s employment report is strong enough in our view to keep the FOMC on hold for at least a couple more meetings as higher tariffs have reignited concerns about inflation. That said, with both the soft and hard data on the labor market showing employment conditions softening, we still expect the FOMC to be cutting later this year.
Gamblemerica: How Sports Betting Apps Rewired a Generation’s Relationship to Risk by Kyla Scanlon
Sports betting apps use behavioral psychology to encourage compulsive engagement, especially among younger users drawn to risk. Their design mimics addictive social media features—like instant rewards and push notifications—creating a loop of dopamine-driven interaction. While the industry promotes personal responsibility, the real issue lies in how these platforms are engineered to exploit psychological vulnerabilities for profit.
Imperfect Independence by Heritage Financial
Key Observations from the team’s latest post: Imperfect Independence – Despite renewed debate around Fed leadership and independence, there is no current evidence to suggest investors should shift positioning. The Fed remains an imperfect yet vital anchor for monetary stability. Markets Warm with the Weather – May brought a more constructive tone as trade tensions eased, lifting sentiment and encouraging a rebound in risk assets. Fixed Income Buyers Remain Cold – While equities priced in potential fiscal stimulus, bond markets focused on long-term deficit risks, pushing yields higher across most of the yield curve. Fed Independence Under the Spotlight – The Fed has held rates steady this year while calls from the Executive Branch grow louder to ease policy. Investors wonder yet again how independent the Fed truly remains. Fed Structure Limits Political Control – Fed governors serve staggered 14-year terms and require Senate confirmation, but average tenure is only about seven years. While this structure gives presidents some influence, it falls short of control. This is especially true given that the full voting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) includes five regional presidents unaffiliated with the Executive Branch.
Book Recommendation
The Private Equity Playbook: Management’s Guide to Working with Private Equity by Adam Coffey
Private equity firms are on the rise and rapidly changing the game. Today more than 5,500 P.E. firms own tens of thousands of companies, so it is essential for CEOs and senior management executives to understand exactly how private equity firms operate. This invaluable resource can help you devise a winning P.E. game plan for your own company that offers you greater freedom and financial success.
Boston Corner
Harvard cuts could severely damage Boston-area GDP, report says by Axios
Harvard stands to lose roughly $2.9 billion in economic activity and up to 15,500 jobs in the Boston metro area if its federal research funding—which totals about $2.2 billion—goes away, with additional losses tied to around 7,000 international students. While this projection reflects a worst-case scenario and could be softened by legal challenges, the full financial impact may take up to a year to materialize
New England Economic Conditions Through June 3, 2025 by Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
- New England’s unemployment rate increased 0.7 percentage point from April 2024 to April 2025. At 4.1 percent, the regional rate inched closer to the US rate of 4.2 percent. The labor force participation rate in New England has leveled off for several months and has not recovered to the pre-pandemic level. In April 2025 in New England, inflation was nearly 3 percent, as measured by the year-over-year change in the Consumer Price Index. Shelter prices in the region rose more than 6 percent from a year prior. That increase was only partially offset by a 2 percent decline in transportation prices. House prices in New England grew faster than those in the country as a whole from 2024:Q1 to 2025:Q1. However, the office market remained soft in Boston, especially the suburban area, which saw a rising vacancy rate and slightly declining rents.
Boston’s commercial property poised to lose more value, and more city revenue, report say by Axios
The middle of the road: Office values drop 35% to 45% over five years, leading to a $550 million shortfall in 2029 and a $1.7 billion budget shortfall overall.
