You need about 20 minutes a month. Pick a low-cost index fund, set up automatic contributions, and let compound interest do the heavy lifting. That’s it.

$50 a month at 10% average annual return becomes roughly $113,000 in 30 years. $500 a month and you’ve earned over $1 million. 

The S&P 500 has averaged around 10% annually for nearly a century. Recessions, crashes, pandemics — it absorbed all of it and kept climbing. No other side hustle has that track record.

Stocks slipped on mixed signals about interest rates: Major indexes drifted lower as investors weighed the Fed possibly keeping rates higher for longer against a Treasury plan to buy back more long-term bonds. Crypto stocks like Coinbase bucked the trend, jumping on hopes for new crypto legislation.

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Charging extra for guac in Mexico City: A LatAm retail consultant says Chipotle's expansion into Mexico will need 2-3 years to adapt its menu and positioning to succeed, while their partnership with the local food brand Alsea was a step in the right direction. (more)

Walmart introduced Apple Pay! Finally! But will it save its stock? Walmart's U.S. comparable sales grew just 2.6% (its slowest pace in six years), sending shares down 9%, even though the company beat overall revenue estimates and raised its full-year profit guidance. (more)

Moderna's stock skyrockets after cancer vaccine news: Pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Merck released encouraging Phase 3 data on their melanoma vaccine, great news for skin cancer patients and investors. (more)

Meta is on trial over a $1.4 trillion lawsuit: Four states are suing Meta, alleging it deliberately designed Instagram and Facebook to be addictive to kids and violated child privacy law; they want the court to force changes like ending infinite scroll and adding parental controls. (more)

American Airlines is putting screens back in seats (hallelujah): After ripping them out a decade ago to save money, American will reinstall seatback screens fleet-wide starting in 2028, along with Bluetooth, USB-C ports, and more first-class seats, to catch up with rivals Delta and United. (more)

“The biggest misconception with entrepreneurs is you need to move fast. While that is true, you need to make sure that you’re making a wise decision.”

“A lot of people in the market will push you to make a quick decision. Sometimes there are routes that don’t show up right away when you’re first looking. But as you keep diving into the research, stuff will just appear out of nowhere.”

“I’ve probably saved myself just in the last month thirty thousand dollars just from not pulling the trigger when everyone around me was saying go, go, go.”

“I had a buddy — he hit big off crypto. In one night he made like a hundred and forty thousand dollars. And that night he was telling me to put into it.”

“I saw him hit big and I was like, okay, this is something I need to get on board with. So I made a quick decision. I was listening to people pressure me into it.”

“The carpet got pulled the next day and I lost all my money. Making those quick decisions sometimes can come back and bite you.”

Start with a real problem, not a trending one. Ashton didn’t hunt for a hot market. He found a gap that genuinely mattered to him.

Win the money before you spend it. Soterix took home $50,000 from the University of Dayton’s Flyer Pitch competition. That cash funded initial technology, manufacturing, and product development — without giving up equity or taking on debt.

Build a team that sees what you can’t. Ashton didn’t do this alone. His teammates Charlie and Nubia brought perspectives he freely admits he wouldn’t have found on his own. The lone genius entrepreneur is mostly a myth. The best founders build rooms full of people smarter than them in different ways.

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. Higher rates on checking and savings accounts.