Hey Rebels! Let's dive into this week's issue to help you become smarter 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
❄️ A lot is going on in the news (are you all staying warm?). What did I miss in the stock market? Stocks traded unevenly ahead of another big tech earnings week, with gains in Nvidia and Microsoft offsetting weakness in Intel, while positive sentiment around Nintendo, Spotify, and other names helped markets remain mixed.
✈️ Sky-High Drama: Michael O’Leary, CEO of Europe’s biggest and most unserious airline, Ryanair, and Elon Musk are feuding after O’Leary declined to install Starlink on his planes. Musk called him some names I won’t repeat, and O’Leary said business is booming and offered Musk a free ticket. So petty, so funny.
🌕 We are going to steal the moon! Everyone (or at least everyone who owns a tech company) is talking about putting data centers on the moon, a potentially less toxic and more efficient alternative to earth-bound centers. Could you also please send whoever is spam-calling me every day to work there?
By the numbers
😱 5-mile by 1-mile: The size of Meta’s enormous Hyperion data center.
🪙 5,000: The price of Gold per ounce, for the first time ever.
🧗🏽♂️ 1,667 feet: How high American rock climber Alex Honnold, known for free climbing El Capitan, climbed to summit Taipei 101 skyscraper — with no ropes or safety net — live on Netflix (with a 10-second delay, because, you know). Personally, this is a new genre of horror show. Also, HE DOESN’T HAVE LIFE INSURANCE, which I find equally horrifying.
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The Financial Rebellion Way
“The only real failure is the failure to try”
Two Things Keeping You Broke: One Fear, One Lie
Fear says: “What if I fail?” Lie whispers: “You’re not smart enough.” Both are BS, and both are expensive.
The truth about failure:
You can’t fail if you try: Failure is staying on the couch. Everything else is research. Lost money day trading vs. investing in stocks? You learned. Side hustle flopped? You’re closer to what works.
Inaction is the only real failure: Every day you don’t start is a day of compound interest lost. That’s actual failure—not trying and missing.
“Not smart enough” is a scam: The wealthy aren’t geniuses. They just started.
The truth about you:
You’re reading this, which means you’re already smarter than those who ignore their finances completely. You don’t need to be Warren Buffett—you need to be 1% better than yesterday. That’s all the qualification you need.
Big picture: The fear of failure and the lie of “not enough” are luxury beliefs you can’t afford. Every millionaire has a failure story. None has a “never tried” story. You’re exactly smart enough, capable enough, and good enough—you just need to start proving it to yourself.
Markets - stocks and crypto
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Prices for the week ending January 23, 2026:
▼ S&P 500 | 6,916 | -0.69% |
▼ NASDAQ | 23,501 | -0.61% |
▲ GOLD | 5,080 | +4.62% |
▼ INTEL (INTC) | 45.08 | -8.35% |
▲ NINTENDO (NTDOY) | 16.67 | +0.73% |
▼ BITCOIN (BTC) | 87,792 | -1.86% |
▲ ETHEREUM (ETH) | 2,901 | -2.80% |
Stock and Crypto Moves
Wall Street is feeling good about Nintendo as traders responded positively to growing momentum around the anticipated Switch 2 console. (more)
Spotify’s share price climbed after Goldman Sachs upgraded its rating ahead of an upcoming subscription price increase, as investors responded favorably to the anticipated revenue boost. (more)
Intel’s stock tumbled as investors grew impatient with the company’s turnaround timeline after disappointing guidance, pushing traders to reassess confidence in its near-term growth strategy. (more)
Big crypto outflows this week, led by roughly $1.09B leaving Bitcoin and $630M leaving Ethereum, driven by fading expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts, ongoing negative price momentum, and disappointment that crypto hasn’t yet regained its inflation-hedge narrative. (more)
Billionaire Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy is starting a $100 million hedge fund to bet on crypto just as Bitcoin crashes 28% from its peak—perfect timing as always. The fund’s manager says the “up only phase” might be ending (you think?), but remains bullish because apparently losing money is just a temporary setback in crypto land. (more)
Real Money Moves
Emery, 23 - Flagstaff, Arizona
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 - Set investing on autopilot
“I kept telling myself I’d invest ‘next month’ for literally three years. Analysis paralysis kept me from actually buying anything.”
“Finally just opened a Robinhood account, picked an S&P 500 fund, and set up $400 to auto-transfer every month. No thinking, no deciding, no backing out.”
“That was 18 months ago. My account’s up $8,200 total—$7,200 I put in plus $1,000 in gains. My ‘perfect strategy’ would still be sitting in my checking account earning nothing.”
Worst Money Move - TikTok made me buy it
“Every targeted ad felt personally crafted for my soul. Skincare that would ‘transform’ me. Gadgets I’d ‘use every day.’ Clothes that would ‘elevate my style.’”
“I’d see it, swipe up, buy it. Probably dropped $300-400 monthly on stuff I used twice.”
“I finally deleted TikTok and Instagram for 30 days. My bank account recovered, my apartment cleared out, and I realized I was buying other people’s lifestyles instead of building my own.”
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.
This could be you
Social Media Manager
Run Instagram while they run their business—and charge $1,000+/month for posting pretty pictures.
Your scroll-to-cash blueprint:
Niche down or drown: Don't manage "social media." Manage Instagram for dentists. TikTok for restaurants. LinkedIn for lawyers. Specialists get paid; generalists get played.
The 3-client sweet spot: Three clients at $1,500/month beats twenty at $200. Less stress, more focus, same money.
Results, not followers: Track leads generated, not likes gained. Business owners pay for customers, not vanity metrics.
Big picture: Everyone thinks they can "do social media" until they actually have to. While they're posting randomly at midnight, you're scheduling content from a beach. One client paying $1,500/month covers rent. Three clients and you're considering quitting your day job.
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.