You filled up in Kingsport this week for $3.81 a gallon. That's 8 cents better than last week, and Tennessee and the national number came down with it.
That runs against what most of us believe. When oil jumps, we expect the pump to jump right behind it, and usually it does. Oil went up 6% last week and the pump hasn't caught up yet. If you need gas, fill up this week.
If you're on Lynn Garden Drive, that's where you'll find the lowest gas price in Kingsport this week, $3.63, according to Buddy's Gas.
A year ago that same gallon here ran $2.67. That's $1.14 more today, $22.80 more every time you fill a 20 gallon tank. You feel it every time the pump clicks off.
Now the good news. Last week the bull market turned 4 years old. It was built the right way, on companies making more money. Profit margins keep getting better. The real test comes at the end of this month, when the biggest companies report.
Then there's bonds. The 10 year Treasury is at 5.25%. The Fed raised rates in September, and Wall Street is betting on 3 more. We never bet with your money. We manage it with Wall Street's numbers in front of us, but we sit on your side of the table. Wall Street says inflation is cooling. I got my mortgage in April 2022 at 4.25%, and I felt like I'd been robbed. Today it's 7.5%, and I feel blessed. Groceries and gas still cost what they cost. Both are true. Our job is to thread the needle for you.
Here's what hasn't changed. Even at 5%, bonds aren't the protection they used to be. There are alternatives to consider that bring more stability.
The banks work like the gas pump. What they charge you goes up fast. What they pay you goes up slow. Your cash is earning again, just not as fast as it should be. So we keep an eye on what it's actually paying, and your plan keeps protection when the market drops, and growth when it rises.
Chances are somebody in your family has a target date fund or a balanced fund, in a 401k at work or a 529 college savings plan. Few people know what's actually in it. Bring us the statement, and we'll go through it with you.
Go to work, go to the ballgame, sit at your own table with your own people. We're on the wall. You go live your life.
Keep the Faith. God Bless America.
Jeff
Questions? Just call Jeff at 423-247-1152!
The Weekly Quiz
Last week's answer: The last time the 10 year Treasury was this high was 2007. Nobody took a swing, so the prize rolls over. This week's winner takes both: [PRIZE].
This week's question: The bull market just had a birthday. How old did it turn? (The answer is right here in this letter.)
Reply to this email or give us a call with your answer. Every right answer goes into the drawing. Answer next week.
Sources: Gas prices, AAA, this week as of October 18, 2026; last week as published in the October 13, 2026 edition; a year ago, same week 2025. Lowest local price, Buddy's Gas, October 18, 2026. Market background: Aptus Capital Advisors, The Market in Pictures (October 16, 2026) and John Luke Tyner, Is the Bond Market Overreacting? (October 12, 2026). Fill-up arithmetic assumes a 20 gallon tank at the Kingsport price.