The Cost of Living - Money Weekly Newsletter from alooola®
- Feb 10
- 2 min read
The Cost of Living
February 9, 2026
Rising costs are reshaping family decisions and 7 in 10 Americans now say having children is too expensive (up 13 percentage points from last year). The estimated cost to raise a child to age 18 has climbed to roughly $322,000 adjusted for inflation. 1
Since 2000, overall inflation is up 92.6%, but essentials have surged far more. These include hospital services (+281%), college tuition (+197%), childcare (+159%), and medical care (+147%). Meanwhile technology-driven goods plunged, including TVs (−98%) and software (−73%). 2
Through November 2025, roughly 88% of the S&P 500’s 2025 gains were driven by the top 100 stocks. Since then, leadership has sharply reversed and the bottom 400 stocks account for about 76% of the market’s advance. *3
In the 1990s, the S&P 500 paid out about 46% of earnings as dividends; today it’s roughly 30%. The shift reflects sector leadership changing from high-dividend energy, industrials, and consumer staples to technology, which now makes up 33.9% of the index and typically yields less.
Download our App Today!
Tools to help you make informed investment decisions
Resources tailored to your financial goals
 |  |  |
Need Support or Interested in Learning More?
alooola® is an SEC Registered Investment Adviser. Material presented is for informational purposes only, and is not meant to be advice to any individual. Talk with alooola® to see how this information may apply to you. Consider your current financial situation, tolerance for risk, and investment objectives before you invest funds in securities through alooola®. For a more complete explanation of the alooola® service, please visit www.alooola.com. Information presented, including past performance of various sectors, vehicles, and indices is not to be construed as a forecast or guarantee of future results. Actual results, performance, or events may differ materially from those expressed or implied herein, and all investments are subject to risk, including loss of principal.
Sources:
The Independent – “More Americans Are Saying It’s Too Expensive to Have Children, and It’s Limiting How Big Families Are Growing”
A Wealth of Common Sense – “Animal Spirits: Gold’s 1987 Moment”
Bloomberg – “Revenge of the Real. Why Energy, Materials and Staples Stocks Are Beating the Market.”
State Street Global Advisors – “The Income Squeeze: How Market Concentration Is Reshaping Equity Returns”
*Past performance is not indicative of future performance
Follow us on social media
 |  |  |
