Ashwin Sharma Financial Advisor

10/14/2026

🌌 Astronomers just detected the most distant blazar ever observed, and its light has been traveling toward us for 8 billion years.

Known as Blazar OP 313, it’s powered by a supermassive black hole feeding on surrounding material and launching jets of plasma at nearly the speed of light. Because one of those jets points almost directly toward Earth, we see an especially intense burst of energy.

The light reaching us today shows the blazar as it existed about 5 billion years after the Big Bang, when stars and galaxies were forming at an extraordinary pace.

🔭 By studying its high-energy gamma rays, researchers can learn more about how supermassive black holes accelerated particles and shaped their surroundings during an earlier chapter of cosmic history.

Eight billion years later, that ancient signal is still teaching us something new about the universe. ✨



Source:

"Around 11 billion years ago, the universe experienced a period of peak activity known as the 'Cosmic noon,' characterized by an intense rate of star and galaxy formation."

10/12/2026

Why So Bearish?

10/09/2026

🌴 More Americans are deciding that enjoying life now matters just as much as making financial progress for later.

A recent SoFi survey found that 72% of Americans would be willing to make slower progress toward their financial goals so they can spend more time with family, travel more, and prioritize meaningful experiences.

That doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning long-term goals. In fact, 59% of respondents said enjoying life is how they define financial progress, compared with 27% who pointed to owning a home.

The challenge is finding a balance between what matters now and what matters later. ✈️ That can mean making room for a vacation, concert, or family event while still keeping an eye on retirement savings and debt.

But charge that trip to a credit card and carry a balance, and interest can turn a two-week memory into a much longer bill.

What does financial progress look like to you: reaching the next milestone, enjoying more of life now, or some mix of both?


Source:

SoFi found 72% of Americans are willing to make slower progress on financial goals to prioritize family, travel and meaningful experiences.

10/07/2026

🏠 Mortgage rates climbed above 7% last week, and more borrowers started looking for a different way in.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 7.12%, while adjustable-rate mortgages offered rates more than a percentage point lower. That difference helped push ARMs to 9.8% of all mortgage applications, up from 8.4% two weeks earlier.

🔑 The appeal is easy to understand: an ARM may offer a lower initial rate and monthly payment. But that rate doesn’t stay fixed forever. Once the initial period ends, it can adjust higher or lower depending on where rates are at that time.

Meanwhile, overall mortgage demand fell, with purchase applications down 1% for the week and refinancing applications down 3%.

A lower rate today can be tempting. What it does after the fixed period ends is the part worth thinking through before you sign.


Source:

As mortgage rates rise, borrowers are seeking savings in riskier, adjustable-rate mortgages that offer lower rates.

10/02/2026

🛠️ The richest person in your town probably isn't a tech founder or someone in finance. It's more likely the dentist running four offices, or the owner of the HVAC company whose trucks are everywhere.

New research from economists Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick, based on IRS and Treasury data, found nearly 5 million U.S. households worth at least $5 million, holding combined wealth more than 13 times that of the Forbes 400.

A few patterns stood out:
➡️Most started their business themselves rather than inheriting it
➡️Most run ordinary, brick-and-mortar businesses rather than tech or finance
➡️Independence mattered more to them early on than getting rich ever did

🌭 Case in point: Dick Portillo started a hot dog stand in 1963 with just $1,100. Decades later, he sold the business he'd built for $1 billion.

Building wealth often looks much more ordinary and attainable than the headlines suggest. If growing or eventually stepping back from a business is part of your picture, that's worth talking through together.


Source:

Getting rich in the U.S. is still possible, but the most common path to wealth doesn't involve working for other people, according to a new book.

09/30/2026

🏠 Higher mortgage rates are pushing some homebuyers to look for lower-cost alternatives.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.79%, while the average rate for a 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage fell to 5.94%.

That gap is drawing more attention to ARMs, which made up 8% of mortgage applications last week, their highest share in five weeks.

🔑 The tradeoff is that an ARM’s rate can change later, which means the lower initial rate may come with more uncertainty down the road.

For buyers comparing mortgage options, it’s worth looking beyond the starting rate and understanding how the loan could change over time.


Source:

Mortgage rates continue to rise, pushing some buyers to riskier, adjustable-rate loans in order to find savings. Rates are at the highest level since June 2025.

09/28/2026

Making Lemonade from Lemons

09/25/2026

Dolly Parton’s legacy reaches far beyond music.

Over the years, she gave millions to causes ranging from disaster relief and medical research to education and children’s literacy. Her Imagination Library alone has distributed more than 330 million books to children across five countries.

After devastating Tennessee wildfires in 2016, her My People Fund provided displaced families with $1,000 a month for six months, no strings attached. She also donated $1 million toward COVID-19 vaccine research and supported schools, scholarships, pediatric care, and communities close to home.

What tied so much of that work together was remarkably simple: trust people, see a need, and respond.

Her example is a meaningful reminder that generosity doesn’t have to follow one formula. It starts with deciding what matters to you and finding a way to make an impact.


Source:

Dolly Parton's death is shining a new light on the country music icon's philanthropy. The Library of Congress has called Parton a “titan of children’s literacy” for the millions of free books provided monthly through her Imagination Library.

09/23/2026

A carton of milk 🥛. A set of golf clubs ⛳. A bottle of perfume 🌸. All three just got pricier to send north into Canada. 🍁

Canada's new tariffs on $20 billion in American goods took effect this week, ranging from 15 to 50 percent depending on the product.

It's the latest move in a trade dispute that's dragged on for more than a year between two of the world's largest trading partners.

The ripple effects won't directly affect most household budgets. But they're a reminder that global headlines and everyday costs are more connected than they seem.

That connection, and what it might mean for your own situation, is exactly the kind of thing we're keeping an eye on for you.


Source:

Canada's steep retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion in U.S. goods took effect just after midnight ET on Tuesday, deepening the trade war between the two countries.