Author: Brad Beckett

The Tax Foundation says new Internal Revenue Service data for tax year 2023 shows the US federal income tax system continues to be progressive, as high-income taxpayers pay the highest average income tax rates. Some key points: In 2023, taxpayers filed 153.1 million tax returns They reported earning nearly $15.2 trillion in adjusted gross income (AGI), and paid $2.1 trillion in individual income taxes. The average income tax rate in 2023 was 14.1%. The top 1% of taxpayers paid a 26.3% average rate, seven times higher than the 3.7 percent average rate paid by the bottom half of taxpayers. The…

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis is reporting that personal income decreased less than  $0.1 billion (less than 0.1% at a monthly rate) in April.  Disposable personal income (DPI – personal income less personal current taxes) decreased $19.9 billion (0.1%), and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $111.1 billion (0.5%).  Personal saving was $611.7 billion in March, and the personal saving rate (personal saving as a percentage of DPI)  was 2.6%. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

According to the ADP National Employment Report for May, 2026, private sector employment increased by 122k jobs and pay was up 4.4% year-over-year.   ADP says eight out of 10 supersectors showed gains last month, and employers of all sizes were hiring.  The ADP National Employment Report is an independent and high-frequency view of the private-sector labor market based on the aggregated and anonymized payroll data of more than 26 million U.S. employees. “Hiring was more broad-based in May than we’ve seen in the last few years. The labor market continues to show sustained momentum going into the summer hiring season.”  Said…

According to the latest Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI), home prices rose 0.1% in March, 2026 and were up 1.7% year-over-year.  The FHFA HPI is the nation’s only collection of public, freely available house price indexes that measure changes in single-family home values based on data from all 50 states and over 400 American cities that extend back to the mid-1970s. Click here to read the full report at the FHFA.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172k jobs in May, 2026.  May’s unemployment rate came in at 4.3% – about the same as the last few months.  The BLS said Job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, local government, and health care. Employment in financial activities and the federal government continued to decline. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The U.S. government is reporting that total construction spending in April, 2026 was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,172.4 billion, up 0.4% from March’s revised number.  In addition, April’s estimate is 0.9% higher than one year ago.  Residential construction came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $909.9 billion in April, which is 0.8% higher than March’s revised estimate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.

Statista says U.S. home prices have dipped slightly since peaking in late 2022 but remain far above pre-pandemic levels. After years of stability following the 2008 housing crash, prices surged between 2020 and 2022.  Today’s graphic illustrates median house price and days on the market over the last 10 years.  As always, stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to Statista.

A recent story on Realtor.com has HGTV star Chip Gaines reflecting on aging and his evolving lifestyle. The 51-year-old shared that his early mornings at his Texas farmhouse now require more “coffee” and “grace” as he gets older. In a recent essay in the Summer issue of Magnolia Journal, “A Note From Chip on Adventure,” Gaines criticized society’s obsession with staying young, calling anti-aging culture a marketing gimmick. He argued the phrase “anti-aging” is backwards and suggested aging should be embraced rather than feared. “The temptation to let the back half of life lull me into dormancy. To be too set…

The latest S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index has reported a 0.7% annual increase for March, 2026.  Their 10-City Composite posted 1.2% increase year-over-year and their 20-City Composite posted a 1% year-over-year increase.  They say for the 10th consecutive month, inflation outpaced national home price appreciation, with March CPI running 2.6 percentage points above the 0.7% annual gain, extending the streak of negative real home price returns. “More than half of the 20 major U.S. housing markets recorded year-over-year price declines in March, reflecting a broadening and deepening housing slowdown,”  Said Nicholas Godec, CFA, CAIA, CIPM, Head…

On a recent episode of the Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast,  Brian Hamrick talks with Joel Kraut, a real estate investor with over 30 years of experience who has flipped more than 100 homes, built rental portfolios across multiple states, operated through the 2008 crash, and rebuilt after losing $4.2M during the financial crisis.  You’ll hear how Joel accidentally discovered the BRRRR method in the 1990s and why new investors should focus on simple, structured deals instead of risky, high-leverage bets— and how discipline beats hype every time. Click here to listen.