July 10, 2025 • 4 mins
LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i
WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:
https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured
Remember the movie Gremlins? It all starts with a cute little creature—until you break the rules. That’s exactly how Markowski sees the new Trump-era baby investment account plan. What begins as a feel-good $1,000 seed for kids born between 2005 and 2028 is, in his view, just another well-meaning gimmick that will mutate into a budget-devouring monster. With echoes of past expansions like the child tax credit, and whispers of future universal basic income, Markowski warns this “cute” idea won’t stay harmless for long—especially once politicians on both sides of the aisle start feeding it. A sharp, skeptical take on how small programs grow into fiscal gremlins when Washington breaks the rules. www.watchdogonwallstreet.com
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i
WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:
https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured
Remember the movie Gremlins? It all starts with a cute little creature—until you break the rules. That’s exactly how Markowski sees the new Trump-era baby investment account plan. What begins as a feel-good $1,000 seed for kids born between 2005 and 2028 is, in his view, just another well-meaning gimmick that will mutate into a budget-devouring monster. With echoes of past expansions like the child tax credit, and whispers of future universal basic income, Markowski warns this “cute” idea won’t stay harmless for long—especially once politicians on both sides of the aisle start feeding it. A sharp, skeptical take on how small programs grow into fiscal gremlins when Washington breaks the rules. www.watchdogonwallstreet.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Watchdog on Wall Street podcast explaining the news coming
out of the complex worlds of finance, economics, and politics
and the impact it we'll have on everyday Americans. Author,
investment banker, consumer advocate, analyst, and trader Chris Markowski.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Gremlins and the Trump Accounts. I remember the movie Gremlins.
That was mid eighties. It was the Christmas horror movie. Yeah,
remember all how cute. What was the name of it,
Magwa Li Maglai or something like that. Oh, it's a
cute little kremlin. You just got to follow the rules.
Oh remember that gremlin doesn't like bright light. Remember right light?
(00:37):
Right light, didn't like bright lights. Cannot get the gremlin.
Wet cannot get the gremlin, and you can't feed it
after midnight. You see many many handouts and giveaways. Look,
oh cute and nice and worth so. And we're from Washington, DC.
(01:03):
And they turn into monsters eventually, because again they're politicians.
They can't follow the rules. They just can't help themselves.
They'll keep feeding feeding these things and they get out
of control. This Trump accountant government is going to make
(01:28):
a one time, one thousand dollars payment to be invested
in a stock Market Index fund for babies born between
two thousand and five and twenty twenty eight. Now, let
me get this straight. Let me get that. Let me
get this straight. You're going to do this for three years.
(01:49):
Three years. Oh that's that's not going to get extended.
You're not going to hear you know, the grinding and
whaling and gnashing A d oh, I can't board a
bit twenty it's not fair. Oh my god. Now parents
can add an additional five thousand dollars into the account.
Even though it's not a tax write off. The money
(02:10):
will grow tax deferred. No withdrawals are allowed until you
are eighteen years old. Again, the idea, it's cute, it's cute,
it's quaint. Republicans want to give make people feel like
they have ownership in a capitalist economy. Here's Ted Cruz.
(02:36):
Ted Cruz has been dropping a ball over the place.
Every child in America will have private investment accounts that
will compound over their lives, enhancing the prosperity and economic
participation of the vast majority of Americans. Yeah yeah, Let's
let's look at programs from the past. How about the
(02:57):
Child Tax Credit nineteen ninety seven started out as a
four hundred dollars benefit. It has grown, it's been expanded,
and now it's refundable. So if you don't pay any
income text whatsoever, you still get a check.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Again, you're going to understand that what Democrats, what Democrats
are gonna end up doing more probably with this, is
they're going to turn this into UBI.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Maybe Republicans want to do it too. I don't know.
I don't know. Let's be honest here, it's a unit party.
Maybe they want to turn it to a universal basic
income at some point in time. If you think you
think it's going to end in twenty twenty eight, it's not.
(03:51):
If you think it's going to remain at one thousand dollars,
it's not. You already got Corey Booker.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
He wants to put one thousand dollars in at birth
and then up to.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Two thousand more every year depending on the family's income.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, they're gonna this is this sken
monster gremlin in the system. People, another entitlement that we
can't afford. Watchdog on Wall Street dot Com
The Watchdog on Wall Street podcast explaining the news coming
out of the complex worlds of finance, economics, and politics
and the impact it we'll have on everyday Americans. Author,
investment banker, consumer advocate, analyst, and trader Chris Markowski.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Gremlins and the Trump Accounts. I remember the movie Gremlins.
That was mid eighties. It was the Christmas horror movie. Yeah,
remember all how cute. What was the name of it,
Magwa Li Maglai or something like that. Oh, it's a
cute little kremlin. You just got to follow the rules.
Oh remember that gremlin doesn't like bright light. Remember right light?
(00:37):
Right light, didn't like bright lights. Cannot get the gremlin.
Wet cannot get the gremlin, and you can't feed it
after midnight. You see many many handouts and giveaways. Look,
oh cute and nice and worth so. And we're from Washington, DC.
(01:03):
And they turn into monsters eventually, because again they're politicians.
They can't follow the rules. They just can't help themselves.
They'll keep feeding feeding these things and they get out
of control. This Trump accountant government is going to make
(01:28):
a one time, one thousand dollars payment to be invested
in a stock Market Index fund for babies born between
two thousand and five and twenty twenty eight. Now, let
me get this straight. Let me get that. Let me
get this straight. You're going to do this for three years.
(01:49):
Three years. Oh that's that's not going to get extended.
You're not going to hear you know, the grinding and
whaling and gnashing A d oh, I can't board a
bit twenty it's not fair. Oh my god. Now parents
can add an additional five thousand dollars into the account.
Even though it's not a tax write off. The money
(02:10):
will grow tax deferred. No withdrawals are allowed until you
are eighteen years old. Again, the idea, it's cute, it's cute,
it's quaint. Republicans want to give make people feel like
they have ownership in a capitalist economy. Here's Ted Cruz.
(02:36):
Ted Cruz has been dropping a ball over the place.
Every child in America will have private investment accounts that
will compound over their lives, enhancing the prosperity and economic
participation of the vast majority of Americans. Yeah yeah, Let's
let's look at programs from the past. How about the
(02:57):
Child Tax Credit nineteen ninety seven started out as a
four hundred dollars benefit. It has grown, it's been expanded,
and now it's refundable. So if you don't pay any
income text whatsoever, you still get a check.
Speaker 3 (03:17):
Again, you're going to understand that what Democrats, what Democrats
are gonna end up doing more probably with this, is
they're going to turn this into UBI.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Maybe Republicans want to do it too. I don't know.
I don't know. Let's be honest here, it's a unit party.
Maybe they want to turn it to a universal basic
income at some point in time. If you think you
think it's going to end in twenty twenty eight, it's not.
(03:51):
If you think it's going to remain at one thousand dollars,
it's not. You already got Corey Booker.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
He wants to put one thousand dollars in at birth
and then up to.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Two thousand more every year depending on the family's income.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, they're gonna this is this sken
monster gremlin in the system. People, another entitlement that we
can't afford. Watchdog on Wall Street dot Com
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com