An eye-opening take on US federal finances: roughly $1.5 trillion annually—around 20% of the federal budget—appears to slip away through fraud and waste. That's a staggering figure worth thinking about. When you consider how these macro-level inefficiencies ripple through the broader economy, it starts to reshape conversations about inflation, monetary policy, and asset allocation strategies. For those tracking economic trends, this kind of systemic leakage matters more than most realize.