| | | | Dear Reader, | With inflation still stubborn enough to keep pressure on household budgets, small decisions are getting more expensive. In the January 28, 2026 rate statement holding the federal funds target at 3.5%–3.75%, the Fed reinforced a reality many families already feel: the era of "easy money" is not back. | For investors, that means discipline matters again — and one of the most overlooked places to improve it is your benefits package. Open enrollment isn't paperwork. It's a set of financial choices that can compound quietly over time. |
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| | | | | | The Lithium Boom | | Did you know it takes 10,000 iPhone batteries worth of lithium to make one EV battery pack? With 350M+ EVs projected to be sold globally by 2030, lithium demand is looking steep. | Current recovery methods involve waiting for liquids to evaporate in ponds the size of 100 football fields. This inefficiency can't keep up with forecasted demand. But EnergyX's technology can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods. | Investors are taking note. EnergyX has $130M+ of investments from General Motors and others. They even earned a $5M DOE grant. | Now, they're scaling their 100,000-acre Chilean project, which has a potential target annual revenue of $1.1B. | Perfect timing. You can still join 40,000+ people as an early-stage investor today. | *Disclaimer: This is a paid advertisement for EnergyX's Regulation A+ Offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.energyx.com. Under Regulation A+, a company has the ability to change its share price by up to 20%, without requalifying the offering with the SEC. | |
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| | | | | Why This Matters | Most people treat benefits as "HR stuff." But HSAs, FSAs, and disability coverage sit right on top of your real-life finances: taxes, cash flow, and income security. | In plain terms, a misunderstanding here can create three kinds of damage: you pay extra taxes you didn't need to pay, you forfeit money you set aside, or you discover too late that your income protection isn't what you assumed. When prices are rising, mistakes like that don't stay "small." | And with December 2025 inflation running 2.7% year over year, every avoidable leak matters more than it did a few years ago. |
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| | | | | Where Things Stand | HSAs: A Health Savings Account is one of the strongest tools in the benefits menu — but only if you're eligible and consistent. Under IRS guidance setting 2026 HSA limits at $4,400 (self-only) and $8,750 (family), the upside is meaningful: you can reduce taxable income today and build a long-term medical reserve. The hidden risk is contributing when you don't actually have a qualifying HDHP, which can trigger penalties and messy corrections. | FSAs: Flexible Spending Accounts can help — but they punish sloppy estimates. The IRS confirms that for 2026 the health FSA salary-reduction cap rises to $3,400 and the carryover cap is $680. If your plan doesn't offer carryover (or you don't understand your plan's rules), "set it and forget it" can become "fund it and lose it." | Disability coverage: This is the benefit most likely to disappoint people when they need it most. "60% of pay" is not the same as "60% in your pocket." Definition of disability, benefit length, offsets, and whether benefits are taxable can dramatically change the real protection. |
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| | | | | The Patriot Perspective | Open enrollment is a once-a-year chance to reduce hidden risk. Use HSAs with intention, fund FSAs conservatively, and treat disability insurance as income protection — not a checkbox. Conservative investing starts by protecting the income you already earn. | Stay steady,
Kenneth Boyd
Author, Finance Writer, Former Investment Advisor & CPA |
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