| Greetings!
In this week’s “Advice for the Good Life,” we take a wide-angle view of resilience—financial, physical, and mental.
First, in our Wealth Advisory, we explore how government shutdowns capture headlines but rarely derail markets or long-term investors.
Next, our Wellness Navigator, Christine shares the latest research showing how small, intentional habits can powerfully protect your brain and body.
Finally, in Etcetera, we review fresh GDP data and a surprising story about declining fish populations. Each section offers perspective to keep you grounded, focused, and moving forward with clarity.
Happy reading.
Wealth Advisory: The Impact of Government Shutdowns on Markets and Economic Growth
Federal funding negotiations are once again capturing attention in Washington as lawmakers work to prevent a government shutdown. This comes during a year already marked by policy uncertainty surrounding trade, taxation, immigration, and other key economic issues.
Many investors naturally question how political developments might influence their investment portfolios, particularly those who worry about the growing budget deficit and mounting national debt. Examining historical trends and understanding why markets typically move past these events can provide valuable context during times of political deadlock.
While political tensions in Washington often generate uncertainty, historical data demonstrates that government shutdowns usually produce limited effects on financial markets. Though shutdowns can significantly impact government employees, their influence on market performance has been historically modest. For those investing with a long-term horizon, these situations underscore the importance of keeping political perspectives separate from investment strategies. This distinction becomes particularly crucial when news cycles emphasize contentious issues that historically have not materially affected portfolio returns.
Markets and the economy have historically weathered government shutdowns.
 Each year, the federal government must approve a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts on October 1. Although the government enacted the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” earlier this year establishing tax and spending frameworks, a budget is still required to distribute actual funding across various departments and agencies. Missing this deadline could trigger a government shutdown, leading to interruptions in government services and employee furloughs.
Congress rarely meets the deadline for passing budget legislation. This pattern reflects the increasingly divided political landscape in Washington, where finding common ground has grown more challenging. Across nearly five decades, Congress has successfully passed appropriations bills before the fiscal year deadline on only a handful of occasions, making eleventh-hour negotiations standard practice. One frequently used approach is a “continuing resolution,” which provides temporary funding while lawmakers continue negotiations. Republicans are currently advocating for a seven-week stopgap measure to address the current situation.
The accompanying chart reveals that government shutdowns have been a recurring feature since 1980 across administrations from both political parties, with limited lasting effects on financial markets. The data shows this held true even during highly contentious episodes, including those during the Reagan years, Clinton’s 21-day shutdown in 1995, Obama’s 16-day shutdown in 2013, and Trump’s record-breaking 35-day shutdown spanning late 2018 to early 2019. From an investment perspective, shutdowns have typically represented brief interruptions rather than significant threats to economic expansion.
Political divisions drive shutdown debates.
The present circumstances stem from disagreements regarding spending allocations, with healthcare at the center of debate. Beyond the immediate question of government funding, these budget conflicts reveal fundamental differences about the government’s proper role and fiscal accountability. With federal debt currently hovering around 120% of GDP, there is broad consensus about the importance of fiscal restraint, yet sharp disagreement exists regarding implementation.
What distinguishes the current situation is the administration’s instruction for agencies to develop permanent workforce reduction strategies that go beyond standard temporary furloughs. This marks a shift from historical shutdown dynamics and may produce more enduring effects on employment and government expenditures. It’s worth noting that furloughed federal employees automatically receive retroactive compensation once shutdowns conclude, a policy established during negotiations that resolved the 2018 to 2019 shutdown.
Some investors may conflate shutdown threats with other fiscal concerns like the debt ceiling. Debt ceiling issues arise when the government needs to finance previously authorized spending, but the Treasury Department lacks authority to borrow beyond established limits. The sole remedy involves Congressional action to increase the debt limit, otherwise risking default on government obligations. These various fiscal challenges have contributed to major credit rating agencies downgrading U.S. debt from AAA status. Fortunately, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act included a $5 trillion increase to the debt ceiling, postponing this concern for the foreseeable future.
Financial markets prioritize fundamentals over political narratives.
 Despite widespread investor concerns about the nation’s fiscal path, government shutdowns have typically proven inconsequential for financial markets. The explanation is simple: shutdowns represent temporary interruptions that leave core economic fundamentals unchanged.
Economic data releases can be affected by shutdowns, potentially delaying important information that investors and economists rely on, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ employment reports and Consumer Price Index figures. However, these delays are usually temporary, with normal reporting schedules resuming after shutdowns end. Extended shutdowns may also create modest drags on economic growth through reduced spending by federal workers and interruptions to government services.
The Economic Policy Uncertainty chart displayed above shows that tariffs and tax policy generated substantial investor challenges earlier this year. With recent resolution on both fronts, this metric has declined toward its historical average. While shutdowns could potentially increase uncertainty, historical evidence indicates that even prolonged government disruptions have generally not materially affected investors.
The bottom line? While government shutdowns generate significant media attention, present real challenges for federal employees, and interrupt essential services, their historical impact on financial markets has been negligible. Investors are best served by maintaining focus on their long-term financial objectives rather than day-to-day political developments in Washington.
Your Wellness Navigator and Holistic Health Guide, Christine Despres, RN, NBC-HWC, CDP
U.S. POINTER Trial
“As the burden of dementia grows worldwide, U.S. POINTER affirms a vital public health message: healthy behavior has a powerful impact on brain health.”
— Joanne Pike, DrPH, Alzheimer’s Association President & CEO
The recent U.S. POINTER Trial offers encouraging news: in a two-year study of 2,100 adults at risk for cognitive decline, researchers found that combining multiple healthy habits including diet, exercise, cognitive training, and health monitoring can help improve cognition. Those with more structure and support showed the greatest gains.
This is the heart of prevention: small, steady steps carried forward. Here’s a simple, science-backed plan you can start today:
Brain-Boosting Lifestyle Plan
1️⃣ Eat for Your Brain
Follow the MIND Diet (Mediterranean + DASH): leafy greens, nuts, berries, olive oil, fish, and whole grains. Limit processed and fried foods. 👉 Learn more about the MIND Diet here
2️⃣ Move with Intention
Mix it up 3–5x per week:
- Strength & resistance
- Balance (yoga, Pilates, tai chi)
- Weighted walking, cardio, aerobic movement
*Yoga is a great example of a habit stacking, mind-body exercise that builds strength, flexibility, balance, and offers breathwork and stress relief! Go to hot yoga to add detox and weight loss to your stack! That’s BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!
3️⃣ Engage Your Mind
Stretch your brain with new skills, challenging reading, racquet sports and strategy games.
👉 Check out BrainHQ
Join my BRAIN BOOST SESSIONS
4️⃣ Monitor & Optimize Cardiovascular Health
Track your key markers
- Blood pressure, HRV, cholesterol, and blood sugar.
These numbers reveal so much about inflammation, resilience, and brain aging.
Why These Four Work Together
- Synergy: Each habit reinforces and supports the others.
- Prevention: You’re protecting your brain before symptoms appear.
- Adaptability: Scalable to your lifestyle and flexible to you.
- Sustainability: When habits fit naturally, they last.
Let this October be a turning point: from awareness to action, from intention to practice. When we carry forward healthy habits of movement, nourishment, mental challenge, and cardiovascular health that’s when we truly begin to age well and prevent chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s.
As Dr. Daniel Amen says: “Better brain, better life.” He is named the web’s #1 most influential mental health expert, The Washington Post called Dr. Amen the “most popular psychiatrist in America.”
Your brain, body, and future self will thank you.
With gratitude,
Christine
Your Nurse. Your Guide. Your Wellness Navigator.
Real GDP Growth in Q2 Was Revised Higher to a 3.8% Annual Rate
To view this article, Click Here.
Brian S. Wesbury, Chief Economist
Robert Stein, Deputy Chief Economist
Date: 9/25/2025
Real GDP growth in Q2 was revised higher to a 3.8% annual rate, easily beating the consensus expected 3.3%.
Upward revisions to personal consumption, business investment, and government purchases more than offset small downward revisions to net exports, inventories, and residential investment.
Personal consumption, business investment, and home building, combined, rose at a 2.9% annual rate in Q2. We refer to this as “core” GDP.
The GDP price index was revised slightly higher to 2.1% annualized from a prior estimate of 2.0%. Nominal GDP growth – real GDP plus inflation – was revised upward to a 6.0% annualized rate from a prior estimate of 5.3%.
Implications: The final reading for real GDP growth in Q2 showed the economy on firmer footing than initially thought, with growth revised up to a 3.8% annual rate. More importantly, the details improved: stronger consumer spending (services), business investment (equipment, software, and structures), and government purchases more than offset weaker readings on inventories, trade, and housing. For a better gauge of sustainable growth, we look at “core” GDP—consumer spending, business fixed investment, and home building—while excluding the more volatile categories like government, inventories, and trade. Core GDP grew at a 2.9% annual rate in Q2, far above the prior 1.9% estimate. The Bureau of Economic Analysis also released its annual revisions. From 2019–2024, average real GDP growth held at 2.4%, unchanged from prior estimates—a non-event. More notable was corporate profits: the second look at Q2 profits showed growth of just 0.2% from Q1 (vs. +1.7% previously) and 3.6% year-over-year. Excluding the Fed—whose large losses drag on the totals—corporate profits rose 0.6% in Q2 and are up only 2.5% year-over-year, the second slowest four-quarter pace since 2020. Based on pre-tax profits, our Capitalized Profits Model continues to signal that equities remain overvalued. As for inflation, GDP inflation was revised slightly higher to a 2.1% annualized rate in Q2, and GDP prices have risen 2.5% over the past year. Meanwhile, nominal GDP (real growth plus inflation) increased at a 6.0% annual rate in Q2 and is up 4.6% year-over-year. All in all a very
As an added Bonus: Why fish populations have dropped more than 50% in cold-water streams in the US
That’s all for today.
To wealth, health, and wisdom,
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