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
🏀 “Sorry it took so long!” The New York Knicks are NBA champions, the first time in 53 years. A slam dunk in the knick of time. (more)
😎 A big day for solar sales bros: For the first time in history, solar generated more monthly power than coal in the United States, producing 12.8% of the country's power. In other sun news, I went outside when the UV index was above a 5, and I can no longer feel my shoulders #wearyoursunscreen. (more)
☮ The peace deal dropped, and so did oil: After the US and Iran agreed to end their conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices dropped, dragging energy stocks like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips down with them…sorry, not sorry? (more)
By the numbers
⛽️ $4.12: The average price of gas in the U.S. this week, a drop for the third week in a row. (more)
🧐 10 years: how long Lionsgate has been trying to make a Monopoly movie. If it’s bad? Straight to jail. (more)
👵🏽 1999: The last time the Knicks made it to the NBA Finals. I was a mere 47 years old back then! (more)
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The Financial Rebellion Way
Let's be real — the word "budget" probably sounds about as fun as getting a root canal. But what if we told you a budget isn't about restricting yourself? It's actually about freedom — knowing exactly where your money is going so you can afford the things you genuinely care about.
Start With Your Earned Income: At the top of a Google Sheet, Excel spreadsheet, or even a plain piece of notebook paper, write down everything you bring in each month — wages, tips, commissions, side hustle cash. That's your starting number.
List Your Fixed Expenses: These are the non-negotiables: phone bill, car insurance, any debt payments, utilities. Write them down and subtract them from your income.
Track Your Variable Expenses: Streaming subscriptions, gas, restaurants, haircuts, gym memberships — it all goes here. Seeing it written out can be genuinely eye-opening.
Create Named Savings Accounts: Instead of one vague "savings account," name your accounts after things you actually want — a travel fund, a new shoes fund, a car repair fund. Even $25 a month to a named account makes saving feel real and purposeful instead of pointless.
Build Your Wealth Creation Expense: A Roth IRA, a brokerage account through Fidelity or Vanguard, even a micro-investing app like Acorns — whatever it is, treat it like an expense so it happens automatically. Starting early means compound interest does the heavy lifting for you over time.
Big Picture: The standard budgeting advice you'll hear is the 50-30-20 rule — 50% to needs, 30% to wants, 20% to savings. It’s a good starting point, but it’s a cookie-cutter model…and your life isn't cookie-cutter. The real goal is to build a plan that reflects your values and your goals, and then give yourself 60 to 90 days to find your groove. Nobody gets it perfect on the first try — and that's completely okay. The win is knowing where your money goes instead of wondering where it went.
Markets - stocks and crypto
In under 3 minutes, start investing spare change, saving for retirement, earning more, spending smarter, and more.
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Prices for the week ending June 12, 2026:
▲ S&P 500 | 7,540 | +1.23% |
▲ NASDAQ | 26,483 | +1.49% |
▲ GOLD | 4,377 | +3.97% |
▼ ADOBE (ADBE) | 208 | -13.57% |
▼ FOX (FOX) | 48.62 | -19.89% |
▲ BITCOIN (BTC) | 63,553 | +8.02% |
▲ ETHEREUM (ETH) | 1,665 | +11.68% |
Stock and Crypto Moves
“Ships of the world, start your engines”: Stocks soared, and oil prices plunged after President Trump announced an agreement with Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. Though the details of the plan have not been released, the market did not take long to respond with gusto. (more)
Despite AI fears, Adobe beat Q2 earnings and revenue estimates and announced that its CFO is leaving for other “professional opportunities.” Stealing that line if a better newsletter pops up…fat chance. (more)
Nasdaq announced that five tech companies will join the Nasdaq-100 Index, and the stocks responded as you would expect. Find out which five companies here.
Despite a less-than-stellar first half of the year, some analysts say that it might be time for a “crypto spring.” Is this just a part of a cycle, or the end of crypto as we know it? Find out more here.
Fox has announced a $22 billion deal to acquire Roku, forming an alliance and combining their strengths -- Fox’s live content and Roku’s streaming. Together, they will be unstoppable! They hope. (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.
Nick, 33 - Atlanta, Georgia
Best Money Move - Starting investing early
“I had an early leader at my first job who advised me to switch my 401k to putting 10% in after I started earning some commission.”
“When I left that first job, I had a good chunk of change in that 401k. Then I self-directed it—took it out of the retirement-at-65 plan and invested it in revenue-generating stocks and dividend-paying stocks.”
“Starting to invest early was the best decision I made.”
Worst Money Move - Death by a thousand food cuts
“I haven’t made any big one-time money mistakes, but spending money on eating out, getting coffee out, and ordering food delivery? That stuff adds up.”
“When you start thinking about what I could put that money into, rather than the $50 Uber Eats dinner that I could have made for $10 at home…”
“I could have put $40 into a stock, and it could have been making me money. So what was I thinking? Those things add up, and just repetitively doing that was probably the worst money decision I’ve ever made.”
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.
The Transparent Staffing Story
What it is: Nick Ford turned his sales skills and industry frustration into Transparent Staffing—a recruiting company that actually respects everyone’s time.
Your transparent playbook:
The Side-Hustle-to-CEO Pipeline: Nick started Transparent Staffing while working full-time in employee benefits, working long hours for months before launching.
The Anti-Spam Strategy: While competitors throw 30 resumes at the wall, Nick sends three rockstar candidates. Quality over quantity, and actually solving the problem.
The Listen-First Sales Method: “Become a good listener,” Nick advises. “If you can do a good job of listening and understanding what a client’s problems are and then figure out how your solution can solve that problem, you will have a much better time at being able to close business.”
Big picture: Everyone told Nick that starting a staffing company AND buying rental property was “too risky.” Five years later, he’s running a thriving business that treats people like humans, not resume numbers. The real risk? Sitting on your ideas while someone else builds them. As his 8-year-old son proves (already running his own tie-dye business and asking to be on podcasts), you’re never too young—or too old—to start.
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