Mark Hamrick

06/25/2025

No matter where we are in our daily lives, we can use some support, added insight, or an expression of appreciation. Are we all getting too much of that in today's world? I think you know the answer.

I've always been a fan of quotations and have a number of books devoted to them. Here's one that I'm sharing today.

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Pioneering American tennis champion Arthur Ashe

Context: Progress doesn’t require perfection, vast resources, or ideal circumstances. It calls us to take initiative — not later, not when everything feels perfect, but now. Ashe, a tennis champion and civil rights advocate, knew what it meant to face daunting odds. He showed us with his deeds and remarkable achievements stemming from the benefits of taking action, rather than falling prey to hesitation.

His life story is one of inspiration: Arthur Ashe rose from modest beginnings in segregated Richmond, Virginia, to become the first Black man to win the U.S. Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon. While he didn't have elite facilities or privilege, he did possess focus, discipline, and the willingness to move forward from wherever he was.

Mark's takeaways:
• Start where you are: Acknowledge your current situation, without judgment. Waiting for the “right time” often leads to stagnation.
• Use what you have: Whether it’s a network, a skill, or just time and energy, leverage it. Resourcefulness can win out over resources.
• Do what you can: Action, however small, builds momentum. One step, one call, one paragraph can create the path ahead.

Please share any thoughts or insights that you have on what inspires you. And thank you for taking the time to soak in some positive energy! hashtag hashtag hashtag

05/14/2025

Bankrate asked homeowners if they had any regrets about their purchase. It turns out nearly half do have a regret of some kind.

Here's a situation where we can learn from the experiences of others, to prepare for the inevitable maintenance, repair, and perhaps renovation of the home.

The good news is that most say they would buy the home again if they were given the chance.

08/05/2024

Some stock market bulls are calling on the Federal Reserve to go into crisis mode and cut interest rates as soon as possible. But just last week, the Fed opted to leave rates unchanged. Since them, the stock market has been caught in a downdraft with some of the fiercest selling seen in a couple of years.
Here's my LinkedIn post on what's going on and what it might mean about the current situation with the economy and the outlook for interest rates.

05/12/2024

Economic data to watch this week includes key inflation gauges. Why is this important? Elevated prices have been weighing on the pocketbooks and minds of consumers. The future direction of interest rates (affecting borrowing, saving, and ultimately even investing) depends on how inflation unfolds in the months ahead.

04/05/2024

There's a lot to process in today's complicated and dynamic economy. At the same time, there have been several recent positive developments:
-The job market remains strong, continuing a historic streak with the unemployment rate below 4%.
-A much feared and often predicted recession has been avoided, for now.
-Inflation has cooled. The downside is that many prices remain elevated and buying power has been eroded compared to pre-pandemic times.
-The U.S. economy is outperforming global peers.
Here's more on the latest snapshot of the economy, now that we've seen the March jobs report.

02/28/2024

Homeownership is typically associated with the so-called American dream. So, what happens when a significant part of society believes that goal is unattainable? A new Bankrate survey finds that a majority of aspiring homeowners believe either the cost of living is too high, or that their income is not high enough to pay for a down payment and closing costs of a home purchase.

In my LinkedIn post, I explain how we got here with housing (un)affordability and the implications for the economy and our personal finances:

Perhaps we need to change the concept from housing affordability to housing unaffordability. The latter has garnered the attention of many prospective buyers…

02/24/2024

Here are some things to watch this week with financial markets and the economy. Ultimately, they affect the personal finances of all of us:

02/10/2024

The S&P 500 closing above 5k is a big deal.

Here's why and how you can get in on the action via mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

In a moment that will go down in history, as well as in the portfolios of many if not most investors, the S&P 500 closed above 5000 for the first time. The…