Even though our economy has stayed strong, Americans are feeling the weight of affordability.  Expenses like childcare have seen an increase, leaving many families devoting an entire paycheck to childcare services. Everyone wants lower costs. As your state financial officer, I belong to the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) which includes 27 members from 23 different states. We work to … Read More

Nobody really likes tax season. Sure, it can be nice if you get a refund, but even getting to that point can be frustrating – collecting the W-2’s and 1099s from employers, tracking down paperwork from your bank, finding your passwords for your tax prep software. It isn’t easy. That said, many are hopeful that all the work will pay … Read More

Mississippi is no stranger to natural disasters. We prove resilient through hurricanes, heat waves, tornadoes, and most recently, ice storms. The latest round of winter weather downed trees, cut power, and closed schools. Linemen worked overtime to restore electricity; the Mississippi National Guard helped clear roads; the American Red Cross opened shelters and helped keep people warm. While the State … Read More

Every year, I get a front-row seat to something pretty special in Mississippi. It doesn’t happen in a boardroom or at the Capitol. It happens on kitchen tables, classroom desks, and living-room floors, where kids pick up crayons, markers, paint, and pencils and start imagining their future. The 2026 College and Career Savings Art Contest is back again with a … Read More

For generations, Americans have believed that access to the financial system is a basic part of participating in modern life. You work hard, you play by the rules, and you expect a bank to treat you fairly. Unfortunately, that promise has been quietly eroding, and Mississippians are right to be concerned. In recent years, Americans across the country have been … Read More

Tax season has officially begun – the first one since the President’s working families tax cuts became law. There’s a lot packed in there. For workers, there’s a 15 percent tax cut for those making around $80,000. For families, the Child Tax Credit has been doubled. For seniors, President Trump has largely brought an end to double taxation on your … Read More

Take a look at this stat: Americans are currently missing around $70 billion. That’s $70 billion that has been left unclaimed and is now sitting in unclaimed money databases across the country – and some of it could be yours. Here in Mississippi, I’ve made returning these funds a top priority. As a result, we’ve turned over a record-breaking almost … Read More

We are heading into the weekend with much of our state under a winter storm warning. This huge storm is expected to hit not only Mississippi but most of the south and east coast as well. It’s forecasted to be debilitating for multiple states due to very cold temperatures, and major snow and ice accumulations. Now, I’m a lifelong Mississippian. … Read More

Mississippians don’t save for retirement so their money can be used to push political agendas. They save so they can retire with security after a lifetime of hard work. That commonsense truth has been under attack from woke Wall Street firms (and Biden-era bureaucrats) who believe your retirement account should double as a political weapon. Enough is enough. For years, … Read More

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and has started the new year on a good foot. It’s been too long, but we’re finally back and have exciting news to share in this week’s column! Right before Christmas, the Mississippi Treasury’s Mississippi Affordable College Savings program was ranked by Forbes as one of the best college savings programs in the … Read More