Have You Been To Disney World?

There may not be a more interesting real-time gauge of inflation than a few days spent at Walt Disney World Resort.

After being in Florida the past few weeks, it’s hard to ignore how Disney has quietly become a case study in modern pricing power—and, in many ways, a barometer for broader inflation trends.

Disney doesn’t just raise prices randomly. It studies consumer behavior, demand elasticity, and spending psychology better than almost any company in the world. When they increase ticket prices, hotel rates, food costs, and even introduce premium add-ons—and people keep coming—it tells you something important: consumers are still willing (and able) to spend.

That’s inflation at work.

Not just the textbook version tied to CPI reports, but the real, lived version. The kind you feel when a family trip that used to cost $4,000 now runs closer to $8,000—and demand hasn’t meaningfully slowed.

From a financial planning perspective, this matters more than most people realize.

First, it reinforces the idea that inflation isn’t always linear or evenly distributed. Experiences, travel, and services—especially those tied to strong brands—can inflate much faster than the headline numbers suggest. If your financial plan only accounts for a flat 2–3% inflation rate, you may be underestimating the real cost of your lifestyle.

Second, it highlights the importance of owning assets that can keep up. Companies like Disney, with pricing power and brand loyalty, tend to navigate inflationary environments better than businesses that compete purely on price. That same principle applies to your portfolio—owning quality matters.

Third, it’s a reminder about cash. Inflation isn’t just an abstract concept—it’s erosion. Every year you sit on excess cash, your purchasing power declines. Meanwhile, the cost of the experiences you actually want continues to rise.

Lastly, it ties back to behavioral finance. People are still prioritizing experiences, even as costs climb. That tells you that spending patterns are sticky. Your plan shouldn’t just reflect numbers—it should reflect how you actually live.

Disney World may be “the happiest place on earth,” but it’s also a pretty clear signal: inflation is alive, well, and showing up where it matters most—real life.

And if your financial plan isn’t accounting for that, it might be time to revisit it.

Don’t leave your financial future up to chance. Let’s build a plan that gives you confidence today and peace of mind for tomorrow. Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

Colin Symons, CIO Lloyd Financial Group

My business partner, Luke, was speaking on stage at a conference, last week, and they asked him if he had anything he would want to highlight to people in the audience. Particularly after hearing other presenters, my thought for how I would answer that question would just be to say, ‘be bullish.’

Why would I think that? So many investors are focusing on what was and is, without considering what can be. I heard a lot of people talking about risks in the market, Iran war, private credit, and AI threats. Please realize there is always something to worry about, even in the best markets. That’s largely what I talked about last week— you need to consider the changing odds of something happening, not that it may happen.

Back when the stock market bottomed in late 1974 and started an incredible run (shown below,) investors were worried that persistent high inflation would remain forever, forcing stagflation. At the time, we were still in a recession in part due to the OPEC embargo, and we were way more dependent on foreign oil, back then. After years of struggles, balance sheets, whether individual or corporate, were very stressed.

That’s a lot of worries. However, recession ended in March 1975, inflation began easing, and the stock market took off. The S&P 500 returned 37% in 1975, including dividends. The problems didn’t really go away, but they got better, allowing relief. When the market was rebounding, the data still looked bad. We were still in recession. However, the market could see that conditions were on a potential path to get better.

While I don’t think we’re going up 37% anytime soon, barring unforeseen massive stimulus, I do think investors are spending a lot of time driving through the rearview mirror, right now. They are myopically focused on recent problems and not considering if they may be getting better, which is how the market tends to determine prices.

What’s is the current problem, exactly? In March, it had been disappearing rate cuts. That’s gone. More recently, the focus was on persistently elevated oil. WTI oil is currently -18% off highs, though perhaps less so after some negotiation bumps, this weekend. Can those problems come back? Of course, and that’s a reasonable fear. It’s also reasonable to point to the idea that oil is certainly higher than it was before the conflict started.

A lot of market pricing, however, is centered on the idea of whether or not something is getting better or worse. In this case, investors seem to be focused on problems that seem to be fading, which is why so many are bemoaning and suspicious of the fact that stocks have broadly been climbing. Well, why wouldn’t risk assets improve if risks are trending down?

This doesn’t mean we can’t go back down. Again, there are always problems and sometimes they assert more strongly. However, like I said last week, when investors cling to an old stance despite fading reasons, that can create potential opportunity.

Looking at that conference last week, plenty of investors seem focused on a mindset that the recent bumps of the past will continue, despite signs of improvement. Following the numbers, rather than a narrative, tells me there’s reason for optimism that many seem slow to follow. Do you really want to join them?

Headline CPI was as expected, at 0.9% m/m, but Core was 0.2% vs. exp. 0.3%. Core significantly lower than expected sure helps inflation concerns. We mostly just needed CPI to not be bad and this was better than that.

Factory Orders were better than expected, at 0% m/m vs. exp. -0.2%.

Talks with Iran aren’t going smoothly, which is adding to market volatility. The basic issues are nuclear power and charging tolls on the Strait of Hormuz. I’d note that doesn’t mean we’re back to square-one. It’s still a negotiation. That has oil up 8% to $104 and SPX -0.5%.

Existing Home Sales today.

What does it all mean? Back to Iran watch, though markets are fairly calm about it.

Don’t leave your financial future up to chance. Let’s build a plan that gives you confidence today and peace of mind for tomorrow. Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

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