This monthly communication, “Financial Bullet Points,” will quickly and easily cover the main financial issues we see affecting the markets without being bogged down with a lot of details.
Written by Bob Barber, Matthew Barrovecchio, and Don VandeVanter
Prepared on February 23rd, 2026
The Bullet Points for March are:
1. Jobs on the Rise: US payrolls increased 130k in January, essentially double the expected 66k increase and the highest jobs reading in six months. With the unemployment rate decreasing slightly to 4.3% and the participation rate (the share of the working-age population working or looking for work) holding steady, this is a bright sign for a jobs market that has disappointed since mid-2025.
2. Portfolio strategy update: The updates in the last 1-5 months for all our Biblically Responsible Portfolios are working well. In September 2025, we reduced our equity positions due to indicators we follow showing certain market sectors were overvalued, and fully repositioned the remaining overvalued Biblically Responsible equity positions we had left in December to undervalued ones. At the beginning of January, we also reallocated our fixed-income positions across all portfolios to longer positions in line with the direction interest rates seem to be headed. As of this writing, our Biblically Responsible equity positions are surpassing the Cap-weighted S&P 500 index’s one-year trailing and year-to-date returns nicely. Our fixed income portfolio is also surpassing the 1-, 3-, and 5-year CD bank rates, which is the portfolio’s goal. For compliance reasons, we always need to point out that past performance is no guarantee of future performance.
3. GDP and Inflation Both Miss: GDP for Q4 2025, announced in February, came in at 1.4%, half of the 2.8% expected growth rate. The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation metric, the PCE Price Index, came in above expectations for December 2025. Both data points are in the spotlight as Trump’s new pick, Kevin Warsh, prepares to take over Jerome Powell’s position as Fed Chairman in mid-May.
4. Inspire ETFs Corporate Engagement: Inspire ETFs regularly meets with corporate executives in an effort to create positive change in companies that can be owned by investors. In 2025, they met with over 1,100 companies, resulting in positive changes at Costco, Walmart, Kroger, and Meta. In 2026, Inspire plans to increase the number of shareholder proposals on topics ranging from protecting life, freedom, and fairness to encouraging prudent AI stewardship. Your Biblical responsible portfolio indirectly supports these efforts.
5. Continuing Education & Scriptures: This month’s schedule for Christian Financial Perspectives is listed below, along with our Scripture for the month:
- Ep 242 – The Biblical Worldview of Ownership – 03-10-2026
- Ep 243 – The Biblical Worldview of Providing for Family – 03-24-2026
- Proverbs 14:23 – “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.“
If you would like further explanation of any of the bullet points mentioned, please call or text (830) 609-6986 during business hours or email us by clicking here.
Bob Barber, CWS®, CKA®
Senior Wealth Advisor & President
Matthew Barrovecchio, CFP®, CKA®
Senior Wealth Advisor
Don VandeVanter, CPA
Wealth Advisor
Christian Financial Advisors®