While the markets looked pretty relaxed this week, RPOA was hard at work putting on our 2026 Homecoming! Ken discusses the latest inflation data, the Federal Reserve’s upcoming interest rate decision, and the major technology company earnings reports that could influence the market’s direction. With a busy week ahead for investors, we look at the key developments to watch while also taking a moment to celebrate our annual company homecoming.

This week’s message is about more than the markets — it’s about gratitude, relationships, and sharing our appreciation for the clients who make it all worthwhile 

Transcript:

Hello, everyone, and welcome to our weekly market alert video for today. And I’m recording this actually on Thursday, October 22nd. And, uh, today is actually my 69th birthday. I know. I don’t look a day over sixty-eight. I know, I know. Uh, not much to report. You know, we had the, the inflation number came in, and the market liked it, didn’t like it, and now it likes it.

Uh, the Federal Reserve is gonna meet next week, and, uh, that’s gonna be a big deal because they’re gonna tell us what they’re gonna do with interest rates. But we all know they’re gonna say, “We’re not doing anything with interest rates.” So it’s gonna be a… And, and is that good news? No, it’s bad news. It’s because they don’t know what to do.

And, uh, so… But the big thing is all gonna be next week because all those big tech companies that this entire stock market is riding on are gonna be reporting their earnings next week. So it’s gonna be– That’s gonna move the entire market up, down, or maybe nowhere if they all meet expectations. We’ll see.

But that’s what’s driving the whole market. That’s what’s the most important thing, and, uh, therefore, more than what the Fed does, we think it’s gonna be what the, uh, uh, federal– of what the, uh, reporting, uh, earnings come in with. Um, you may notice there are some people behind me and, uh, maybe some background noise and all of this.

I’m actually at our annual homecoming. This is where we bring the entire, all of our employees from around the country here to, uh, to our headquarters here in, in North Dallas. And, uh, that’s where we have what we call our homecoming, and we go over, you know, what we’re gonna do to finish the year and to plan for next and, uh, to renew our friendships and our, our, our love for each other across the country with people we don’t get to see all the time because they’re in California or they’re in Arizona, et cetera.

And so it’s a wonderful time for us. But it’s also, um, an opportunity, since I don’t really have much to report to you with regard to what’s going on, for me to, uh, share with you our love for you. So I’m gonna ask Alex, our, uh, video extraordinaire, uh, uh, empresario, shall I say, um, to play this for you now.

And, uh, after that, I’ll just say thank you guys for everything. You know, the biggest birthday present I could get is a happy client and, uh, from what I understand, you guys are in good moods. The market’s doing well, and, uh, we’re, we have our investment protect. And so hopefully all of you are in a good mood, and that’s my best birthday present.

So thank you. So here’s the video for you. Three, two, one. We love you.

Economic indicators and stock market performance cannot be predicted. Opinions expressed regarding the economy and the stock market belong solely to employees of RPOA on behalf of Retirement Planners of America and may not accurately portray actual future performance of the economy or stock market outcomes. Opinions expressed in this video is intended to be for informational purposes only and is not intended to be used as investment advice for individuals who are not clients of Retirement Planners of America. All content provided is the opinion of employees of RPOA Advisors, Inc. (d/b/a Retirement Planners of America ) (“Retirement Planners of America”, “RPOA”). ©Copyright 2026