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Avare Financial financial coaching protects you from blind spots
Avare (TM) Financial Coaching
312-286-6287
Transform the way you manage finances
Financial Solutions & Guidance
Avare Financial(TM) offers personal financial coaching, consulting and planning that protects you from financial blind-spots.
Joel achieved the Chartered Financial Analyst designation (CFA), the most rigorous credential in finance. Avare Financial focuses on the human side of finance by explaining the 'why' and 'how' behind investing, which comes from decades of experience. Combining high-touch service with disciplined project management makes sophisticated financial concepts accessible and actionable. For those seeking analytical depth, Joel’s approach turns complex wealth optimization into a clear path for your long-term goals.
SERVICES
Financial coaching
Asset allocation review
Consulting
Business Loans
Speaking engagements
HOME ECONOMICS
The U.S. economy maintained a posture of steady growth, with real GDP expanding at an annualized rate between 1.5% and 2.0%.
According to Bank of America Insights, Gen Z have the lowest savings-to-spending ratio of any generation, yet spending growth has remained resilient. They have been the exception to the "K-shaped" pattern, as all income cohorts within Gen Z have exhibited strong spending growth over the past six months, according to Bank of America credit and debit card data.
Gen Z discretionary spending has strengthened across beauty, jewelry, coffee and travel, according to Bank of America payments data. This suggests younger consumers are prioritizing purchases and experiences that deliver immediate gratification - consistent with the "little treat economy".
To maintain these spending priorities and pursue longer-term goals, Gen Z may be seeking additional income sources. A tougher labor market for new entrants - with many not getting the hours or income they would like - has coincided with increasing gig work. Bank of America account data found nearly 40% of Gen Z gig work comes from social commerce platforms.
STOCK & BOND RETURNS
Consumer spending remained remarkably resilient—supported by tax refund provisions under recent federal legislation—even as headline inflation experienced renewed pressure from global commodity and energy price shifts.
In response, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted at its late-July meeting to hold the federal funds target rate steady at 3.50%–3.75%, marking its fifth consecutive rate pause. While core inflation has cooled relative to earlier highs, the Federal Reserve continues to exercise caution, keeping overall borrowing costs elevated to guard against inflation persistence.
National Real Estate & Mortgage Trends
Mortgage Rates
According to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey, benchmark borrowing costs fluctuated in a narrow band throughout July before finishing the month slightly elevated. 30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage averaged 6.66% as of late July, up slightly from mid-month levels near 6.58% but down from 6.72% at the same point in 2025. 15-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage: Averaged 6.04%.
Market activity indicates that prospective buyers and sellers are gradually accepting 6.0%–6.7% rates as a "new normal," slightly easing the lock-in effect that constrained housing turnover over the previous two years.
Home Price Appreciation
National home price appreciation continued to decelerate toward historical averages. National price growth settled between 1.4% and 2.3%, while supply & demand due to high borrowing costs kept total transaction volume muted, but persistent single-family supply shortages prevented widespread price drops, keeping home values near peak levels.
Chicago Metropolitan Area Overview
The Chicagoland regional economy exhibited moderate resilience alongside structural headwinds unique to the Midwest market.
Labor Market & Output
- Unemployment: The Chicago metropolitan unemployment rate stood at 4.9%. while down from a winter peak of 5.4%, it remains above the national average (4.2%) and continues to track as the highest among top U.S. peer metros.
- Economic Output: Regional output expanded, with Chicagoland's gross product projected to reach $991 billion in Q3 2026 (up 1.0% quarter-over-quarter).
- Business Activity: The Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions signaled above-trend growth, bolstered by health care, professional services, and international trade through O’Hare Airport ($33.9+ billion monthly volume). However, regional growth capital and construction permitting slowed compared to 2025 levels.
Regional Housing Dynamics
Unlike Sunbelt regions seeing larger influxes of new inventory, Chicagoland’s residential market remained constrained. Flat inventory across Cook and surrounding collar counties supported steady median price increases, favoring sellers while maintaining notable affordability hurdles for first-time buyers.
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I traded the boardroom to help high-achieving individuals and retirees apply institutional-grade discipline to their personal balance sheet. Whether you are navigating a complex career transition, retirement planning, or seek to eliminate volatility in your financial life then you have an objective lens not found elsewhere. Avare brings the same risk-management rigor used for Fortune 500 pension funds to your home. Our shared goal is to help you master money challenges and biases.
You hire decades of market experience for your personal strategist-coach-partner with no conflict of interest. Following a career managing fortune 500 company portfolios I found my calling to help bridge the gap between ‘having money’ and ‘having a plan’. Avare Financial does not track your spending – we engineer your freedom.
Visit Uncle IRA on Substack for investment newsletters - Uncle IRA is an Avare Financial company.
INVESTMENT TOOLS
Uncle IRA.substack.com
sofi.com/student-loan-calculator
navyfederal.org/loans-cards/auto-loans
bankrate.com/credit-cards
bogleheads.org
We have a long road ahead lets navigate it for success
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