Hey Rebels!
The government might be shut down, but the rebellion continues.
Don’t keep the rebellion a secret! Send this link to a friend and share the love, or use the link at the end of the newsletter to earn some swag.
Interested in becoming a Financial Rebellion Partner? Reach out to [email protected].
Weekly Intel
Stay current with top news from the business, money, and investing world.
Top Stories
🇺🇸Error 404: Government Not Found: a senate standoff has resulted in the first government shutdown since 2018, and this one might have a larger economic fallout (more).
🏃🏽♀️No Kudos for Garmin: The exercise app Strava is defending its local legend status, suing Garmin over alleged patent infringements (more).
👠How many Jimmy Choos can you afford after your bills?: The so-called Carrie Bradshaw Index (ratio of median annual wage to the income needed to afford a median-priced studio) for 2025 just dropped - where does your city rank?
By the numbers
🌮5 years: how many years in a row Taco Bell has been crowned the fastest drive-through, though the adoption of AI tech means your midnight Crunch Wrap Supreme wrap may be a little less personable.
😰35 days: the length of the last government shutdown. That is also how long it takes for me to recover from eating at Taco Bell.
🎶4%: how much Spotify stock dipped after the CEO said his time with the company is wrapped.
The Financial Rebellion Way
Knowledge and action to help you achieve a life you desire.
“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”
5 Ways to Rebel Against Traditional Financial Advice
If traditional financial education actually worked, 67% of Americans wouldn’t be living paycheck to paycheck. Time to torch the rulebook.
Your rebellion checklist:
Name your money like it matters: Generic “savings account”? That’s begging to be raided. Cash with a mission doesn’t get wasted.
Automate automate automate: Set up transfers the day after payday, not “when you have extra.” Your future self can’t blow money that never hit your checking account.
Start investing with $20: Download an app like Acorns, buy a fraction of a share, and start learning. Perfect portfolios are for trust fund babies—progress is for rebels.
Zero-based spending plan = zero excuses: Every dollar gets a job before the month starts. It’s not restrictive, it’s liberating.
Dream bigger than “debt-free”: Traditional advice stops at paying bills. That’s survival, not living. Want to own rental properties? Start a business? Travel for a year? Write it down. Dreams on paper become plans with deadlines.
Big picture: Traditional financial advice assumes you have money to invest, job security to plan around, and parents who explained compound interest at dinner. That’s not always reality. Real financial rebellion means writing new rules based on how money actually works in your life—not in some textbook fantasy.
Markets - stocks and crypto
In under 3 minutes, start investing spare change, saving for retirement, earning more, spending smarter, and more.
Click the image above or this link to earn a special $40 bonus.
Prices for the week ending October 3, 2025:
▲ S&P 500 | 6,716 | +0.72% |
▲ NASDAQ | 22,781 | +0.70% |
▲ GOLD | 3,962 | +.1.84% |
▼ SPOTIFY (SPOT) | 681 | -6.13% |
▼ REDDIT (RDDT) | 207 | -15.43% |
▲ BITCOIN (BTC) | 122,444 | +11.83% |
▲ ETHEREUM (ETH) | 4,533 | +12.84% |
Stock Moves
Putting the “dow” in shutdown: Despite the government shutdown, stocks ended Q3 in the green, with the DOW Jones closing at a record high (more).
Still sora-ing high: OpenAI’s Sora has edged out Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT at the top of the App Store (more).
I reddit on the internet: Reddit stock sinks due to reports of ChatGPT using it less as a reliable source, unlike my uncles (more).
Crypto Moves
All-time highs, baby: The crypto market as a whole just hit a market cap of nearly $4.4 trillion (more).
Chomping at the bit: Bitcoin soars past $120,000 with a new record high predicted by the year’s end (more).
Washington and digital currency: How will the government’s stalemate affect crypto? Find out more.
Coming Soon: The Financial Rebellion investment portfolio. You will see where we invest our money via stocks, bonds, crypto and other opportunities.
Real Money Moves
Lincoln, 21 - Dayton, Ohio
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 - Summer of hustle
“Instead of playing, I worked three jobs last summer, and sidehustled like crazy. ”
“I treated summer like a 90-day sprint. Every extra shift, every overtime hour, every tip went straight to my school account.”
“It wasn’t super fun or relaxing, but three months of saying yes to extra work meant nine months of saying no to student loans. Now I’m studying instead of stressing about rent.”
Worst Money Move - Overspending on food delivery
“Life got busy, and making food took time and energy - I started using Uber Eats to have food delivered, and it was sooo nice…”
“...until I checked my bank account balance.”
“I’d order a $12 sandwich that became $28 after fees and tip. The worst part? I had that exact sandwich stuff in my fridge, going bad while I paid someone to bring me the same thing. I blew all my savings because I was lazy.”
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.
Doggy daycare
What it is: Transform your love of animals into poodles of cash.
Your pet profit playbook:
The “Rich Neighborhood” Strategy: Skip competing with teens charging $15. Target the zip codes where people pay $75/night for “pet care specialists” (that’s you with a business card).
The Weekend Warrior Special: Friday pickup to Sunday dropoff = $200 for basically watching Netflix with a dog. Stack three clients and you’ve made rent in one weekend.
The Add-On ATM: Basic sitting is $50. Add “photo updates” for $10. “Training reinforcement” (aka basic commands) for $20. “Grooming” (aka a bath) for $30. Same dog, double the money.
Big picture: While everyone’s fighting for DoorDash shifts, you’re getting paid to cuddle puppies. Just you, some dogs, and direct deposits from people who trust you with their fur babies. The best part? Dogs don’t leave bad Yelp reviews, and their owners tip in cash when Fluffy comes home happy.
Check out the Financial Rebellion podcast to learn about how to turn your passion into profit.
Word of the Week - Diversification
🪺Spreading investments across different assets to reduce risk. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
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: Editor
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.