Property Taxes on the Ballot, Visa and Mastercard Under Pressure, and a Bubble on Watch

Property tax bills keep climbing, a bill in Congress promises lower card fees while card companies warn that rewards could shrink, and everyone seems to be waiting for the AI bubble to burst. It’s hard to tell where the real costs and risks are coming from. After kicking off Movember, Wheeler and Colin take on property taxes. Colin shares that his own bill is up 120% in seven years after his town’s new high school ran over budget. Wheeler makes the case that property taxes work like membership dues for your town and points to one big reason those dues keep rising. Portsmouth’s proposed FY2027 budget lists a $3.3 million increase in health insurance costs as its single largest growth driver. Colin then explains what happens when you swipe a credit card and what the Credit Card Competition Act would change, with US merchants paying about $200 billion in card processing fees in 2025. He looks back at the 2010 Durbin Amendment, when merchants’ early savings faded over time, and the two debate who really pays for rewards points. To finish, Wheeler uses three charts to ask whether something can be a bubble if everyone is waiting for it to pop, and the hosts separate AI itself from the companies spending on it. The episode closes with a client win about paying off credit card debt. By the end, you’ll understand what drives your property tax bill, how card fees flow through to the prices everyone pays, and why Wheeler and Colin think bubble talk deserves a closer look. Compound Growth is produced by CoFi Advisors. If this episode raised a question about your own plan, we’re happy to talk it through.  Sources:  City of Portsmouth, Proposed FY2027 Budget  Credit Card Competition Act (Sens. Marshall, Durbin and Welch)  Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, research on the Durbin Amendment and debit card fees  Duality Research (forward earnings, tech vs. staples and risk-on/risk-off charts)  Movember Foundation **Follow Us:** - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/compoundgrowthpod - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CompoundGrowthPodcast - TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@compoundgrowthpod - Wheeler’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wheeler-crowley-0a63933b/ - Colin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-walker-mba-6099a038/ **Credits:** Created By: Wheeler Crowley and Colin Walker Production, Editing and Post-Production: Tori Rothwell