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
🚢 Newly wed, overfed, nearly dead and…online-bred? A growing number of Gen Zers and millennials are choosing cruises as their vacation of choice this year. And in classic Gen Z fashion, they’re putting the port in portmanteau, calling these trips “seacations.”(more)
🫵 This is the year you get out of debt: This article lists five ways to start the new year with less debt. My favorite parts? Automate your stuff to pay off your debt, but leave the past in the past. Bad decisions are behind you, and you can always turn things around.
🪃 The comeback kids of 2025: Carvana, Robinhood, and Coinbase — three of the biggest stock market losers in 2022 — have all since rebounded strongly, achieved profitability, and been added to the S&P 500 index in 2025 as their shares rose sharply from pandemic-era lows. This is how they did it.
By the numbers
6.2%: Where mortgage rates had been stuck, and might stay, due to shutdown disruptions and conflicting economic data.
2,000 acres: the size of Meta’s massive AI data center called Hyperion, being built on former farmland in rural Richland Parish, Louisiana.
Five: the number of musicians in the Billionaire Club, after Beyonce was recently added (joining her husband Jay Z, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and Rihanna)
Don’t keep the rebellion a secret! Copy and paste this link: {{rp_refer_url}} to a friend and share the love of the newsletter to earn some swag.
The Financial Rebellion Way
Knowledge and action to help you achieve a life you desire.
Everyone says New Year, New You. But this year, let’s make it New Year, New Rules. 2026 isn’t about budgeting harder, earning more just to spend more, or chasing someone else’s definition of “success.”
It’s about rebellion—the quiet, powerful kind that comes from understanding how money actually works and choosing to use it on your terms.
This is the year you stop inheriting financial habits that were never designed for your life.
The year you decode your money DNA—the beliefs, fears, patterns, and stories that shape how you earn, spend, save, and avoid.
When you understand why you make the money decisions you do, you gain the power to change them.
Financial literacy isn’t about perfection. It’s about clarity. Clarity creates confidence. Confidence creates options. Your money should support your life—not control it.
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 December 19, 2025:
▼ S&P 500 | 6,930 | -0.03% |
▼ NASDAQ | 23,593 | -0.09% |
▲ GOLD | 4,553 | +1.11% |
▲ NIKE (NKE) | 60.93 | +2.75% |
▲ MICRON (MU) | 284.79 | +9.06% |
▲ BITCOIN (BTC) | 87,592 | +0.21% |
▲ ETHEREUM (ETH) | 2,932 | +0.13% |
Stock and Crypto Moves
All that glitters IS gold: Gold is the strongest-trending asset in markets, having stayed above its 200-day moving average since November 2023 and outperforming the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and even Nvidia.
A Christmas Miracle: On Christmas Eve’s shortened trading session, the S&P 500 closed at a record high for the 39th time in 2025, the index’s first Christmas Eve closing high since 2013.
Micron making good mems this year: Shares of Micron Technology jumped after reports that memory chip prices have been rising due to strong demand and tight supply.
Can Nike Just Do It?: Nike’s stock has lost value for four consecutive years, with significant declines in 2022–2024 and continuing weakness so far in 2025. We have yet to see how 2026 will go.
How much will $1 in Bitcoin be worth in 2030?: The answer may surprise you. (I’m working on my clickbait)
This week in crypto: Major cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Dogecoin showed mixed movement with cautious trading.
Real Money Moves
Kai, 24 - Portland, Oregon
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 - Moving back with my parents
“Swallowed my pride and moved back home after college. One year of zero rent = $15,000 saved.”
“Friends called me a loser while paying $1,500/month for studio apartments. I just smiled and stacked cash.”
“Used that $15K for a house down payment. Now they’re still renting and I’m building equity. Thanks, Mom and Dad.”
Worst Money Move - Paying to store old furniture
“Couldn’t let go of my college apartment furniture when I moved home. $150/month for a storage unit seemed reasonable.”
“Two years later, I’d paid $3,600 to store IKEA furniture worth maybe $800. The math still hurts.”
“Finally opened the unit—half of it was moldy. Paid thousands to store garbage I should’ve sold on Facebook Marketplace.”
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
Holiday Light Specialist
Don’t mind ladders and cold fingers? Turn the holidays into cash while everyone else is tangled in extension cords. Get fresh air, stay moving, and get paid to make neighborhoods glow.
Your Holiday Lights Side-Hustle Blueprint:
The Pre-Season Power Move: Start booking in October. Knock on doors or post locally before Thanksgiving panic sets in.
The Bundle Play: Installation and removal. $350–500 total, paid upfront. Hang in November, take down in January: same clients, twice the payday, zero extra marketing.
The Storage Upsell: Offer to store lights for the year. $50–75 per home. Minimal effort, pure profit, and guaranteed repeat customers next season.
Big picture: While everyone else complains about cold weather and holiday stress, you’re stacking seasonal cash. Five installs a week can wipe out holiday debt—or fund your January escape. The best part? Most people won’t climb a ladder in the cold. That’s exactly why you get paid.
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.
Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here.
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.