Hey Rebels! Let's dive into this week's issue to help you change how you think about money, investing and business in less than 10 minutes a week.
Weekly Intel
Stay current with top news from the business, money, and investing world.
Top Stories
🛢️ In case you missed it: Oil and defense stocks surged after the US military operations arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who will face arraignment in a New York court. President Trump stated that the US will run Venezuela in the interim and plans to invest billions to revamp the country's oil infrastructure. (more)
🔔 While you were off enjoying eggnog and zero market notifications…the S&P 500 limped into 2026 with a holiday losing streak, silver went full moonshot (up about 150% in 2025), Micron confirmed AI is still starving for memory chips, and Nvidia scored a surprise Trump-approved bonanza selling premium chips to eager Chinese buyers. Among other things. (more)
🪙 Best Year Ever: Bitcoin has gone up every day this year (lol), propelling adjacent crypto stocks into the new year. (more)
By the numbers
🎄 64%: the percentage of Americans who planned to watch a Christmas movie last year, with the top choices including Home Alone, A Charlie Brown Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Die Hard was #5 on the list).
🐦🔥 18 days: How long it took “Avatar: Fire and Ash” to surpass $1 billion globally, making James Cameron the first director in history to have four consecutive movies gross over a billion dollars.
💔 116: The number of people killed in a tragic fire at a Swiss ski resort bar. The average age was 19 years old.
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The Financial Rebellion Way
FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real
Your brain’s lying to you. That investing fear? That’s not wisdom—it’s False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear of losing money keeps you broke. Fear of rejection keeps you underpaid. Fear of failure keeps you stuck. Every day you believe fear’s lies, you pay the price in missed opportunities.
What fear’s false evidence is costing you:
“The market’s too risky”: Meanwhile, inflation’s guaranteed to destroy your savings. The real risk is doing nothing.
“I’m not ready to negotiate”: That fear costs you $5,000+ every year you don’t ask for a raise. Your silence is expensive.
“I’ll fail at that side hustle”: Based on what evidence? You haven’t even tried. Fear’s selling you a story about a future that doesn’t exist.
Big picture: Your biggest financial enemy isn’t the market, the economy, or your student loans. It’s the false evidence your brain creates to keep you “safe”—which really means stuck. The only thing scarier than trying and failing is being in the exact same place next year, still believing fear’s lies.
Markets - stocks and crypto
In under 3 minutes, start investing spare change, saving for retirement, earning more, spending smarter, and more.
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Prices for the week ending January 2, 2026:
▼ S&P 500 | 6,901 | -0.10% |
▼ NASDAQ | 23,407 | -0.19% |
▲ GOLD | 4,447 | +1.58% |
▲ CHEVRON (CVX) | 159 | +5.42% |
▲ LOCKHEED MARTIN (LMT) | 506 | +4.13% |
▲ BITCOIN (BTC) | 93,370 | +6.65% |
▲ ETHEREUM (ETH) | 3,164 | +6.58% |
Stock and Crypto Moves
The Year of the Chip: Intel moved from “hold” to “buy” on optimism about 2026 chip production. (more)
Comcast’s stock took a nosedive after finally dumping its fading cable channels — including USA, Golf, and the freshly rebranded MS NOW — into the shiny new Versant Media spinoff, because apparently even Peacock’s parent is tired of cord-cutting drama. (more)
The Bromance is Back! Tesla’s stock is edging higher in premarket because Elon Musk posted about his “lovely dinner” at Mar-a-Lago with Trump and Melania—complete with a cozy photo and a bold “2026 is going to be amazing!” declaration. (more)
Bitcoin briefly surged to $93,000 on Monday, fueling a crypto rally with $260 million in liquidations as risk appetite roared back amid the U.S. ousting of Venezuela’s Maduro. (more)
Memecoins staged a sharp comeback in early 2026, reversing 2025 losses. Double-digit gains across major tokens like PEPE and DOGE signal a renewed retail interest and speculative momentum. (more)
Real Money Moves
Adam, 30 - Omaha, Nebraska
Each week, we feature a reader’s smartest and dumbest money moves. We’re all in this together; let’s learn from each other.
Best Money Move - Buying a townhome with low interest
“Back when interest rates were low, we had a chance to buy a dumpy little townhome in the city we moved to.”
“We invested a little and made it a home, with a killer monthly payment.”
“We have since moved away, but rent it out with our locked-in interest rate. Easiest passive income!”
Worst Money Move - Not investing sooner
“I was always told to have savings squirrelled away in my savings account, so that's what I did.”
“After years of watching the stock market and seeing my money just sitting in an account earning pennies…I decided to make my money work for me.”
“I wish I had gotten over my fear of investing sooner, then I wouldn’t have this thought of what might have been.”
The bottom line: Every money move teaches you something — whether it builds your net worth or humbles your ego.
Got a story? Send it in. You might help someone dodge a mistake or make a smarter call.
Side Hustle Differently
Each week, we focus on money-making opportunities for a side hustle that could potentially become a full-time venture. No MLM schemes, no “passive income” lies, just real strategies for stacking cash outside your 9-5
Wedding Portrait Painter
Turn your art skills into wedding cash by painting custom portraits of couples’ big day.
Your paint-to-profit blueprint:
Live painting flex: Set up at receptions and paint in real-time. Guests watch you work, and you gain instant celebrity status (and future bookings).
Social media goldmine: Every couple shares their portrait with 200+ wedding guests. One painting becomes three inquiries.
Package it smart: Basic couple portrait, add the venue, include the wedding party. More details = more dollars.
Big picture: While photographers fight for scraps, you’re the only painter in town. Couples love unique experiences; artists need money; and weddings have both. One wedding portrait per month changes your financial game. Paint love, deposit checks, repeat.
Check out the Financial Rebellion podcast to learn about how to turn your passion into profit.
Trusted Partners
Where you bank is a big deal. We are big fans of credit unions to help you become financially rebellious. Here are some of our current partners that we work with around the country, so you can get to know them and the value of becoming a member to help you achieve your financial goals and dreams.
Did you know the myths about credit unions versus banks? Debunked here.
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Interested in becoming a Financial Rebellion Partner? Reach out to [email protected].
We’ll catch you next week. Rebels OUT.
Todd Romer: Founder and Writer
Corinne Clarkson: Writer and Editor
Dallin Merrill: Chief Newsletter Overlord
Disclaimer: The advice provided in Financial Rebellion is not considered to be financial or legal advice of any kind. It is your responsibility to dig deeper on any opinions or recommendations given.