Quote of the Week

"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." - Steven Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

M&A Minute: When is the Best Time to Take Social Security?

This week's video from our team touches on the different Social Security options. Steve and Barry break down the three primary dates and three things to consider, all in 60 seconds!

Chart of the Week

According to the Labor Department, the consumer-price index increased 8.6% in May from 12 months ago. The biggest culprits were energy (up 34.6%) and groceries (up 11.9%). This marks the highest level in more than four decades. So that begs the question, how has the U.S. economy performed in the past during inflationary periods? The chart below from Capital Group gives us an idea. While inflation is certainly a variable in the recent market volatility, there are a lot of other factors at play as well. If you missed it, we discussed the current economy and what is on the horizon in this blog post.

Watch Out For Stinging... Fish?

On Tuesday, an appeals court in Sacramento ruled that bees are now legally considered fish in California under the state's endangered species law, according to the Sacramento Bee. The endangered species law explicitly protected fish, which were characterized as invertebrates. Since then, the law has protected snails and other invertebrates, paving the way for Tuesday's decision. Bumblebees will now be protected from any activities that can cause them to go extinct. The court also ruled that anything without a backbone now qualifies as a fish for purposes of the law.

As always, thanks for reading, and have a great weekend.

Any opinions are those of Barry McCall, Steve Alverson, and Austin Coley and not necessarily those of RJFS or Raymond James. The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. There is no assurance any of the trends mentioned will continue or forecasts will occur. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but Raymond James does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation. Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected. This is not a recommendation to purchase or sell the stocks of the companies pictured/mentioned.
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