When it comes to investments in the United States, a plethora of options open up to any willing consumer. From the safest savings account to the most risky stock option, there’s no shortage of options for those trying to make money using money. Although in recent years few have managed to stay as consistently safe and to rise in value as well as gold has.

This summer our apps and inboxes have been brimming with news feeds and newsletters about the climate, from the Inflation Reduction Act to the extreme weather effects of climate change like flooding, relentless droughts, and searing heatwaves.

A financial war against Russia has begun across the world with the launch of a series of sanctions that have never been applied before. Countries like the U.S., France, Germany, and Canada have all removed Russian banks from Swift while also freezing Russian foreign reserves in their jurisdictions. The U.S. has put sanctions on Russian sovereign debt and banks as well as imposed restrictions on exporting technology that could aid intelligence services and oil drilling to Russia and Belarus.

In 2021, the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 6.8%.  This figure is higher than anything America has seen in 30 years.  To understand what this means, consider what the CPI measures.  Included in the CPI is a basket of goods deemed relevant to the average American consumer. 

Inflation is affecting all aspects of life in the United States, even gas prices and car insurance. With the country experiencing the largest two year increase in gas prices, drivers are looking for new ways to save money at the pump.

There are five primary questions communications agencies should ask themselves to improve their new business win ratio. 

The primary and secondary questions outlined here draw on our collective experience from 80,000 agency searches on CommunicationsMatch™, dozens of agency search consulting engagements, research, and leadership roles in companies and agencies. 

We tend to think of inflation in the context of modest annual price increases that drive up the cost of living. Each year the price of what we buy rises by a few percent. Salaries and charges for services are increased to match or exceed this. 

U.S. inflation has hit highs unmatched in four decades. Gas prices have been inflated 49.6%, energy 29.3%, food by 6.3% (costing Americans an average of $24 more per month), and all items, on avenger, by 7%. There's no doubt that inflation is eroding the affordability of our everyday necessities, putting prices at their highest since 1982, as costs rise at gas pumps, grocery stores, and on virtually all consumer goods.