Henssler Money Talks
Your trusted resource for your money, your future, your life.
September 26, 2026
September 26, 2026: Spending Down, Scoring Up & Rising Rates
Permission to Spend; Mortgage Lending Gets a New Score; Higher Rates, AI Momentum
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From a Lifetime of Saving to a Retirement of Spending
Can you actually be too good at saving for retirement? After decades of building wealth, some retirees find that spending it is harder than saving it. This week, “Henssler Money Talks” explores how a long-term financial plan can help determine when you have room to spend, give, and enjoy more of what you’ve accumulated—and allow yourself to do it.
Henssler Money Talks - October 3, 2026
The Consumer Divide: K-Shaped Spending and a Split Discretionary Sector
Consumer discretionary stocks are struggling this year — but that doesn’t necessarily mean consumers have stopped spending. Instead, a widening divide may be changing where those dollars go. Higher-income households continue to spend, while lower-income consumers face greater pressure from inflation, borrowing costs, and stretched budgets. At the same time, some brands are thriving while their closest competitors stumble. We look at the K-shaped consumer, shifting tastes, and why the story behind consumer spending may be more complicated than the headline numbers suggest.
Do Rate Hikes Hurt Small and Mid Caps More?
A listener wonders whether higher interest rates put Small- and Mid-Cap companies at a disadvantage and whether that means it’s time to shift more funds toward Large-Cap stocks. The answer isn’t as simple as small companies carrying more debt. We look at how smaller companies borrow, why profitability and the index you own can make a difference. We also consider the risks of making an allocation change after the market has already anticipated a Fed move — and why rebalancing or focusing on quality may be different from abandoning an asset class altogether.
Stock Buybacks: What NVIDIA’s Record $150B Authorization Means
NVIDIA just announced a $150 billion increase to its share-buyback program — a number larger than the market value of most companies in the S&P 500. But for a company valued in the trillions, that enormous figure looks considerably smaller in context. We explain how stock buybacks work, why companies use them, and what they can and can’t tell investors.
Whose Roth Is It Anyway?
You’ve saved for decades, built a sizable retirement portfolio, and now you want to make a major purchase. The good news: Your financial plan says you can afford it. The harder question is which account should fund it. Do you take a large distribution from a traditional IRA and potentially face a significant tax bill, or tap Roth assets that could otherwise continue growing tax-free for your future — or your heirs? We look at the tradeoffs between saving taxes today, preserving flexibility for tomorrow, and deciding just how important leaving tax-free assets to the next generation really is.
We discuss financial planning encompassing spending, saving, taxes, investments, insurance, retirement, estate plans, and more.
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