.
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
👵🏽 Bringing grandma back for business: AI startups are turning “digital resurrection” into a business model, using AI-generated voices and likenesses of deceased celebrities and loved ones...bringing up some thorny ethical issues. I guess if you’re not getting any of grandma’s inheritance, you might as well make some money off her identity. (more)
🎓 This recent study of Texas college graduates found that college does consistently pay off in the long run. Though how much greatly depends on your degree. Did your degree make the highest earning list? My master’s in basket weaving did not make the list, if anyone was wondering.
🆒 Justice for Millennials: Society’s punching bag generation may have been unfairly branded as serial job-hoppers, as new labor data suggests late boomers actually held more jobs by the same age. I bet they also walked uphill both ways to all those jobs. (more)
By the numbers
👛 $400,000: how much one crypto user says Anthropic’s Claude AI helped recover from bitcoin locked behind a forgotten wallet password for 11 years (more)
👶🏽 35: how old Kevin Warsh was when he became the Fed’s youngest governor in 2006. (more)
👴🏽 56: how old Kevin Warsh was last Friday when the U.S. Senate confirmed him to lead the Federal Reserve, replacing Jerome Powell. (more)
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
Avoiding your banking app?
Scared of opening your banking app and facing the reality of what’s there? You’re not alone.
Your rebellion blueprint:
Name the beast: That $3,247 isn’t “scary debt”—it’s “Project Freedom.” Fear loses power when you look it in the eye and give it a job description.
The 48-hour rule: Check your accounts every Monday and Thursday at 7am. Same time, same mindset. Routine kills anxiety.
Celebrate the ugly: Screenshot your worst balance. Print it. Frame it. That’s your “before” photo—and your motivation fuel.
Big picture: Real financial rebellion means building a system where checking your accounts feels like unwrapping a gift—even when the numbers aren’t pretty yet. Because control beats comfort every single time.
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 May 15, 2026:
Stock and Crypto Moves
Market Rundown: Markets slipped on Friday as investors worried rising oil prices and inflation pressures could keep interest rates elevated, dragging down major indexes like the S&P 500 and NASDAQ-100. (more)
Crypto regulations: Momentum behind the crypto industry’s long-awaited CLARITY Act appears to be fading as the bill heads toward the Senate, tempering hopes for a clearer US regulatory framework. Though way less sexy than tech advantages, regulation has great power to move markets. (more)
Christmas in June: SpaceX is reportedly targeting a mid-June IPO and plans to list on Nasdaq, setting up what could become one of the most anticipated public offerings in years. (more)
Insert Japanese ABC’s: Alphabet reportedly sold a record $3.6 billion in yen-denominated bonds in Japan, likely helping fund its massive AI infrastructure spending spree. The deal shows how Big Tech is increasingly borrowing globally to finance the expensive race for AI dominance. (more)
Weird bubbles: Investors have a long history of falling hard for new, useful and exciting tech. This article analyzes the stock bubbles of yesteryear, putting AI in company with everything from telegraphs to automobiles to mobile phones to ballpoint pens. (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.
Max, 22 - Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Best Money Move - Perfect timing on market chaos
“I was able to get into the SPY (S&P 500 index) at about 6200.”
“I did a high leverage trade 100x at 6200. So my notional value was about 100,000.”
“That ended up doing really, really well. We’re now at all-time highs in the SPY. So that was definitely my biggest money move.”
Worst Money Move - Love ain’t cheap
“I’m going to be honest, my number one is probably getting a girlfriend. That’s probably my worst financial decision I’ve made.”
“I bought her some nice stuff for her birthday, Dyson Airwraps, and just some cool stuff because I really, really liked that girl at the time.”
“Then we broke up and she pulled the rug out from under me.”
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.
Boost Gum: the antioxidant revolution
What it is: Two engineering students turned a university patent into the world’s only antioxidant chewing gum.
Their gum game playbook:
Anthony and Max spotted an opportunity in a professor’s antioxidant gum formula during a freshman business competition. “We won that event. We won a bunch of money through those pitch competitions. We kept pitching, and we kept winning.”
Their $12,000 cinnamon flavor flop taught them everything. They listened to feedback and were flexible in responding.
Following advice from Big League Chew’s former VP: “Don’t go into retail too early because it kills gum.” They’re building through social media first, where fees are lower, and feedback is instant.
Big picture: While their classmates were chasing consulting jobs, these two spent “40 hours of engineering and 40 hours of the company afterward.” Their mantra? Face problems head-on. As Anthony puts it: “When you’re faced with a problem, you just do it. You don’t try to work around it, and you don’t try and find loopholes.”
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: 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.
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.