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
The day the planet stopped for a game: It was a summer full of player bromance, 100 million memes, and the beauty of watching men from all over the world kick a ball around a field. Yay Spain, or whatever, but can we finally move on with our lives? See you again in four years! (more)
Student loan defaults surging: Over 9.5 million Americans — more than 1 in 5 borrowers — are now in default on student loans, a record high, as pandemic-era payment pauses ended and government support programs got rolled back. As someone with a high-paying master’s in basket weaving writing newsletters part time, I can’t relate. (more)
I haven’t been this excited about a movie since learning about the Greek gods in sixth grade: Christopher Nolan’s star-packed Odyssey smashed the box office last weekend, telling the emotional story about a big hollow horse that discovers the true meaning of friendship. Something like that. (more)
By the numbers
$15 billion: 2026 World Cup revenue, smashing expectations and records. (more)
$17 billion: How much the World Cup may have cost employers due to lost productivity. Maybe schedule the games not at 2pm central time?? They don’t sleep in Europe anyway. (more)
3 million: How many new users prediction market platform Kalshi brought in during the World Cup this year. (more)
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The Financial Rebellion Way
Redefine What Winning Looks Like
Most people don’t start because they’re afraid to fail. But what if you’ve been measuring failure wrong?
Here’s the mindset shift that changes everything:
Skills are currency too. Every business you start pays you in one of two ways: money or experience.
Marketing, sales, operations, resilience. That education doesn’t always show up on a bank statement immediately, but it will show up in your bank account eventually.
Rewrite your definition of a win. Before you launch anything, write down three ways you could succeed that have nothing to do with money. New skill? New city? New confidence? Now failure has to clear a much higher bar to actually be failure.
Big picture: When money is the only scoreboard, every slow month feels like losing. But when you’re also winning on skills, relationships, and personal growth, you’re collecting wins even on the hard days. Start with a broader definition of success, and you’ll find the courage to start.
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 July 17, 2026:
▼ S&P 500 | 7,458 | -1.36% |
▼ NASDAQ | 25,520 | -2.22% |
▼ GOLD | 4,030 | -0.18% |
▼ RYANAIR (RYAAY) | 59.11 | -6.06% |
▲ ALPHABET (GOOG) | 355.41 | +2.06% |
▼ BITCOIN (BTC) | 64,352 | -0.62% |
▼ ETHEREUM (ETH) | 1,823 | -2.43% |
Stock and Crypto Moves
Alphabet (Google) and Tesla report earnings this week, a major test of whether massive AI spending is actually paying off, all while oil prices spike again due to fighting near Iran. (more)
General Fusion, a Bezos-backed company trying to generate power the same way the sun does, went public on the Nasdaq — its CEO says a working fusion power plant is still nearly a decade away (targeting 2035), but he's betting big on AI-driven demand for clean energy. (more)
U.S. gas prices crossed $4 a gallon again as renewed U.S.-Iran fighting disrupts oil shipping routes, pushing prices up more than 30% since the conflict began. (more)
Ryanair’s profits fell 34% as fears about the Middle East conflict made travelers hesitant to book flights while jet fuel costs soared. (more)
Gold and Bitcoin are having a rough year. Despite wars typically boosting "safe haven" assets, gold and Bitcoin are actually 2026's worst-performing investments, as money instead flows into AI-related stocks. (more)
Real Money Moves
Each week, we feature a reader’s smartest and dumbest money moves. We’re all in this together; let’s learn from each other.
Kevin, 29 - New York City
Best Money Move - Focused on earning potential
“I think a lot of people when they start to get into finances, they're always trying to figure out the hack.”
“I think in the beginning it should be way more focused on earning potential. And that's basically what I focused on is trying to develop skills or vehicles to actually generate cash.”
“So my best sort of move in my twenties has been focusing on that earning potential. It took a little while to see that investment come through, but it's worked out for me in the long run.”
Worst Money Move - Lifestyle creep
“For too long I made too much money without really kind of reestablishing a recurring model for me to invest appropriately and update that over time.”
“A lot has changed since I was twenty and virtually broke, to now when I'm thirty and and make a little bit of money, enough to pay New York City rent.”
“Even as my income rose relatively dramatically over the last ten years, I didn't really update my philosophy when it comes to investing.”
Got a money win or financial faceplant? 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.
Dorm Room Podcast to New York Digital Marketer
Kevin Fedor built a digital marketing agency from a podcast in college when he decided he had more to offer than slaving away as an intern in a filing cabinet.
Your freelance marketing playbook:
Start with one skill, not five: Kevin didn’t launch a full agency on day one. He mastered organic social growth first, then added paid media, then expanded to full-service partnerships. Pick one thing—content, SEO, email, paid ads—and get really good at it before stacking more.
Land your first client in your own backyard: Kevin walked into every store in the mall handing out business cards. It’s not glamorous, but local businesses are underserved and easy to reach.
Kevin’s advice? Most people start a business to financial gain something. But if you can position success to mean something other than money, you can give yourself an excuse to start instead of one to stop.
Big picture: Kevin’s hard work has doubled his income every year of his twenties. There wasn’t a hack, he just bet on himself. You can do it too.
Check out the Financial Rebellion podcast to learn about how to turn your passion into profit.
Bank Like a Rebel with a Credit Union
You Own the Place: As a member you're an owner, not a transaction.
David vs. Goliath Energy: Big traditional banks primarily exist to serve shareholders while credit unions exist to serve their members.
Better Loan and Deposit Rates: Lower rates on auto loans and mortgages and higher rates on checking and savings accounts.
Learn more reasons why Financial Rebellion champions credit unions over banks by clicking here.
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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