October 1 doesn't just signal the arrival of fall, the start of the spooky season, and the chase for the World Series.
It's also the start of the U.S. government's fiscal year something we're grossly reminded of every time a small group of politicians attempt to shut down our government for sport.
For me, that means scrutinizing our annual defense budget as it rolls through Congress.
This year, there's a lot to look at because our government allocated $826.45 billion in new discretionary spending, which is $285.87 million over the president's budget request and $28.71 billion or 3.6% higher than the FY23 total.
You're not going to make any money just gazing at the headline number, though.